KMPH: Dead pygmy sperm whale washes ashore at Pismo Beach
Published by KMPH Fox 26 News: February 19, 2025
The carcass of a pygmy sperm whale washed up on Pismo State Beach on Friday.
About 20 researchers, staff, and volunteers from The Marine Mammal Center and the Channel Islands Cetacean Research Unit (CICRU) conducted a necropsy on the dead whale.
It was first reported by park rangers around 8 a.m. and was identified as an adult male pygmy sperm whale measuring 10 1/2 feet.
Aliah Meza, Operations Manager at The Marine Mammal Center, said, "Investigating a whale's death through necropsy provides critical insights into the overall health of these animals and their ocean environment with the goal of understanding how best to protect them."
The opportunity to examine a pygmy sperm whale along the California coast is invaluable because it allows us to build important baseline data on this little-known species.
Various tissue samples were taken for further pathology testing.
The team noted the whale had numerous skin abrasions likely caused by rolling in the surf before becoming stranded. No other significant findings were immediately apparent.
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