Giant whale washes up on California beach

Beach-goers were met with an unusual sight at a Los Angeles County beach this week when a giant whale washed up on shore. The whale was estimated to be about 50 feet long and appeared to have died from blunt force trauma, according to officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Whales are not common visitors to Southern California beaches, and this particular specimen was certainly a sight to behold. Many spectators stopped to take pictures or videos of the beached whale before authorities arrived to tow it out to sea.

It's not clear why the whale ended up so far from its natural habitat, but scientists say that it's possible the animal became disoriented and lost track of where it was swimming. Blunt force trauma is also a common cause of death for whales, particularly when they are struck by boats.

This isn't the first time a massive whale has made headlines in California. In March 2017, another 50-foot-long humpback whale washed up on a beach in Santa Barbara County. That creature was later buried on the beach after attempts to move it proved unsuccessful.

Whale sightings off the coast of Maine

Whale sightings are not uncommon off the coast of Maine, but for some reason, this past week seemed to be quite active for whale sightings. A large group of whales was spotted just south of Peaks Island west of Portland on Monday. Then on Wednesday, a humpback whale was sighted near Egg Rock Light in Owl's Head.

The humpback whale is the species of whale that tends to be seen most often in the waters off Maine. These whales typically grow to be around 40-50 feet long and weigh around 25-30 tons. They are known for their characteristic "hump" on their back and their pectoral fins which can span up to 16 feet wide.

Humpback whales are migratory animals and they spend the summer months in the colder waters off Maine where they feed on various types of fish. In the winter, they migrate to warmer waters where they give birth and nurse their calves.

There are several theories as to why there has been an uptick in whale sightings over the past week. One possibility is that the weather has been unusually warm, which has drawn them further north than normal. Another possibility is that there is a lot of food available in the area due to a recent abundance of herring. Whatever the reason, it's definitely a sight worth seeing!

Gray whale freed from fishing net off San Diego coast

In a rare bit of good news, rescuers freed a gray whale from a fishing net off the coast of San Diego on Wednesday.

The whale had become entangled in the net about 100 yards offshore and was unable to break free. Rescue crews used a buoyant cutting tool called a "grind box" to cut away the netting from around the whale's body.

The whale was then guided back out to sea by rescue boats. It is unclear if the whale survived.

This is just the latest incident in which a marine mammal has become trapped in a fishing net. In April, a humpback whale calf was found dead after becoming entangled in fishing gear in Alaska.

Fishing nets are one of the leading causes of whale deaths, along with ship strikes and entanglement in debris. Government regulators have been working to address the problem, but more needs to be done to protect these animals.

If you see a marine mammal that appears to be entangled in fishing gear, please call NOAA's 24-hour hotline at 1-877-442-9664.

Pilot whales stranded on Farewell Spit in New Zealand

On Saturday, February 11th, about 450 pilot whales were stranded on Farewell Spit in New Zealand. This is the third largest mass stranding incident in New Zealand history. Govt. officials and volunteers raced against time to try and save the whales, but only 50 of them were saved. The rest of the whales died.

This incident has raised many questions about why this happened and what could have been done to prevent it. Some people are blaming human error for not evacuating the area sooner, while others say that there was nothing that could have been done.

One thing is for sure: this event has generated a lot of discussion about how we should respond when animals strand themselves.

Orca whales seen swimming near Alcatraz Island

A pod of orcas was seen swimming near Alcatraz Island over the weekend. Tourists and locals were treated to a rare sight as the whales breached and swam close to the shore.

The orcas were first spotted on Saturday morning by some kayakers, who said that there were about 10 of them in the pod. The sighting was confirmed by officials from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, who said that it was a rare occurrence to see the whales so close to shore.

The orcas typically reside in the open ocean, but they have been known to venture closer to land on occasion. In 2007, a pod of orcas was spotted near Point Bonita Lighthouse, and in 2009, another pod was seen near Crissy Field in San Francisco.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada has designated the Pacific coast of North America as an orca "critical habitat". This means that the department is working to protect the orcas' food supply and acoustic environment, both of which are at risk from human activity.