(KRON) — Two humpback whales have been found dead in the Bay Area over the past nine days, according to The Marine Mammal Center.
One of the humpback whales was found June 20 at Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County. Its cause of death has not been determined, and no necropsy, or animal autopsy, has been performed, TMMC said.
The second humpback was found June 23 at Martins Beach, just south of Half Moon Bay. The center said scientists have not been able to access the deceased whale due to its location being inaccessible. Its cause of death remains unknown.
The two whales represent the first humpback deaths reported in the Bay Area this year. They follow 12 gray whale deaths that occurred between March 17 and June 4. Four of those gray whales were killed by suspected vessel strikes, according to experts, while a majority of the causes of death have been left undetermined…