Washed-up whale
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A dead humpback whale washed up on Sharp Park Beach in Pacifica, California, on the weekend.
The juvenile, 12m-long whale was likely killed during an encounter with killer whales, also known as orcas, officials said on Monday.
The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and The Marine Mammal Centre in Sausalito have responded to 10 stranded whales so far this year, two of them being humpbacks.
A ship strike, entanglement, orca predation or poor health are among the most common factors causing whale deaths and stranding, the academy said.
"This is the time of year when humpback whales are feeding in the San Francisco Bay Area, so it is not uncommon to have several strandings," a manager at the academy added.
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