Dead Whales Do Tell Tales

Dead Whales Do Tell Tales

As a member of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, along with the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, responds to any dead whale that washes up along the coast between the Rockport in Mendocino County and the San Mateo/Santa Cruz county line. Each carcass offers scientists the opportunity to learn about the health of whale populations and the threats that they face. By performing necropsies in the field, scientists collect valuable data about whale migration patterns, habitat threats, human impacts, and geographic distribution that help to inform critical conservation decisions and scientific research. Moe Flannery, Ornithology and Mammalogy Senior Collection Manager, and Sue Pemberton, Associate Manager of Marine Mammal Stranding, will share some of the stories uncovered during recent whale post-mortem exams along our local coastlines.