Dead whale off West Cliff may be the result of more Orcas in the Monterey Bay

UPDATE 5/4/16 3:15 PM: According to Teri Sigler, the Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator at Long Marine Lab, the City of Santa Cruz towed the dead whale out to sea this morning.

Sigler said the city didn’t want the whale to wash up on any beaches.

While this means there won’t be an autopsy, Sigler did say the whale is an adult male.

ORIGINAL STORY: Around April and May is when gray whales tend to pass through the Monterey Bay, typically mothers swimming with their calves. Unfortunately, that’s prime food for killer whales. A dead whale can be spotted floating along West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz.

“Just looking through the camera there wasn’t too much damage to it, it just looks kind of bloated,” said Kenan Chan, a photographer in Santa Cruz.

Authorities still don’t know what caused this whale to die, but it could be the work of an orca, something that is very common this time of year. However, more killer whales in the Monterey Bay this year means more dead gray whales, humpback whales, and other marine mammals.

“There may be a bit more of them than usual, or they may be staying around longer than in the past,” said Jim Harvey, Director of Moss Landing Marine Labs.

If dead whales are left out at sea, they could easily attract sharks and other predators.

“Most of the time we either try to bury the animal or cart it off, or if we can get it offshore we’ll do that,” said Harvey.

Authorities with Long Marine Labs are waiting to see where the current takes the dead whale to decide on how to dispose of it.