Dead Whale Found In Waters Off Santa Cruz

A dead male humpback whale found floating in waters off Santa Cruz was towed away from a kelp bed near a popular walking trail Wednesday afternoon, marine officials said. Walkers and bikers traveling along West Cliff Drive spotted the massive mammal early Tuesday morning about 300 yards off the shore, said Teri Sigler, marine mammal stranding coordinator at UC Santa Cruz’s Long Marine Lab. Crews performed an in-water examination of the whale beforehand but found no external damage pointing to entanglement, ship strike or orca predation, Sigler said. Orca attacks tend to happen in the area this time of year, as the predators hunt gray whale calves heading north to feeding grounds in Alaska.