A dead juvenile humpack whale that washed up in Newport Beach could remain in place until Friday before crews try using a boat to tow the 10-ton carcass back out to sea.
The whale washed up near 11th Street about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday , already dead, according to reports from the scene.
The animal is about 17 feet long, and experts told the Orange County Register it appears to be a juvenile.
Strong surf amid stormy weather has prevented any effort to pull the sea mammal back into the ocean, and as of Thursday morning it was still being pushed onto the sand at the water’s edge.
Pacific Marine Mammal Center staff responded to the location after the whale washed up.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokesman Michael Milstein told the Register that experts will do a preliminary assessment and a necropsy to determine what killed the sub-adult whale.
A whale that washed up in Orange County about 10 years ago had to be cut up to remove it from where it came ashore near a popular surf break, according to the Register.