Scientist are studying the body of a whale that washed up on Sunset State Beach Friday morning. The 27 foot juvenile female Humpback whale was first spotted in the surf off of the South Santa Cruz county beach late Thursday. Marine researchers spent most of the day examining the whale and collecting samples that may help determine the cause of death. Although scars indicate the young Humpback had at one time been entangled in fishing line it does not appear to be a factor in the death. Researchers say the underweight condition along with specific intestinal parasites may indicate the whale succumbed to an illness.
