NEAR FLORENCE, Ore. - Creatures both alive and dead are washing up along the Oregon and Washington coast and while it may sound out of the ordinary, it is all perfectly explainable when you talk to the experts.

Dead Whales

Oregon Coast

Despite how it appears, biologists say a 43-foot adult female gray whale that washed ashore north of Heceta Head on Thursday likely had nothing to do with a dead fin whale that beached nearby last month.

"I think it's a coincidence," said Jim Rice, the Oregon State University researcher who coordinates the Marine Mammal Stranding Network.  "Certainly if we get more whales in the next month or two, it will raise suspicions further."

An excavation crew buried the whale at the beach Friday morning, after biologists performed a necropsy. 

Rice said the whale probably died Thursday morning or Wednesday evening.

"Most cases, we find a dead whale on the beach, it's been dead for days, if not weeks, and it's really decomposed quite a bit," said Rice.  "This is a fresh animal and it gave us the opportunity to get some fresh tissue, which is a very good opportunity for us scientifically."

The gray whale was extremely emaciated, which likely caused it to die, said Rice.  One of the whale's ovaries was infected or cancerous, which also likely contributed to her death.

In addition to taking tissue samples, biologists also removed the whale's ear.  All of the samples will be sent to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University.
    
"It's helpful to us to gather the ears inside the whale's head so we can look for signs if it's been subjected to loud noise and if that contributed to the whale's demise," said Rice, adding there is no indication that happened yet.  Ears can also provide information about the whale's migration.

The whale washed ashore about one mile from where a fin whale beached in early March.  That whale was buried as well.   Video of the burial shows how much work goes into putting one into the ground.

• WARNING! GRAPHIC CONTENT: The following video clip shows crews cutting up the dead whale.  If you are sensitive to blood and guts, do not watch. Raw video of the burial
• For the squeamish, there is a photo gallery that is much less graphic.

Washington Coast

Last weekend, another whale washed up on the southern Washington coast in Ilwaco.  Tiffany Boothe, with the Seaside Aquarium, said it was a young adult gray whale that was about 30 feet long.  Preliminary findings show it was most likely struck by a ship.

California Coast

Two dead whales were found in Southern California waters on Friday. 

One was a 60-foot fin whale that was found in Los Angeles Harbor.  Results from a necropsy were not immediately available but blunt force trauma to the body indicated the whale was likely struck and killed by a ship.  The carcass will be towed out to sea.

Farther south, a beach-goer in San Diego County spotted the carcass of a 20-foot gray whale that washed up in shallow waters in Del Mar.  The whale was a juvenile, about 25 to 30 feet long.  A large gash at the midline indicated it may have been hit by a boat propeller.  That carcass will be towed out to sea as well.

Last month, there were at least two dead whale sightings along the California coast. A 25-foot gray whale calf washed up on an Orange County beach, and a two-ton gray whale drifted to shore in Santa Cruz.

Elephant Seals

A live elephant seal showed up on the beach at Gearhart last weekend, hitting the sand because it was molting.  The painful process causes patches of skin to come off, along with fur, leaving small sores.  Salt water stings those sores and the elephant seals will throw sand on themselves.

"They do this to raise their body temperature," said Boothe.  "It is one of the reasons they come up onto the beach and out of the water.  Raising their body temperature helps the molting process happen just a little quicker."

That particular elephant seal was gone by April 8 but another showed up at Short Sands Beach near Manzanita.

Spring and summer is the molting season for yearling elephant seals, so expect to see more on Oregon's beaches.  Just be aware that it is vital that you do not disturb or touch them in any way, including throwing water on them.

"We like to place informational signs around the animal so that well-meaning people do not throw water on them," said Boothe.

Other Creatures

A dead harbor porpoise was picked up off the beach by Seaside Aquarium staff this week.  Also, according to Boothe, sizable west winds are causing many jellyfish to strand on the beaches.

(KVAL News Reporter Laura Rillos, Freelance Writer Andre' Hagestedt, KATU News Web Producer/Reporter Shannon L. Cheesman and the Associated Press contributed to this report)