A dead orca washed ashore Saturday near Long Beach, Wash., just weeks after two other whales were found dead on the beach.
The 12-foot female orca washed ashore about a mile north of the Cranberry approach, Tiffany Boothe of the Seaside Aquarium wrote in an e-mail. She said that obvious external signs of decomposition confirmed the whale had been dead for a while, and the animal was moved for a necropsy, which was performed Sunday by Portland State University biology professor Debbie Duffield and Cascadia Research biologists.
The necropsy revealed hemorrhaging, indicating major trauma, Boothe wrote.
The whale's exact age was not confirmed, but the size indicates she was between 3 and 6 years old. Boothe said the whale could be a resident belonging to the "L pod," but that has not been confirmed by photo identification and DNA testing.
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