EMERYVILLE — A juvenile whale spotted swimming in the San Francisco Bay on several occasions in early April was beached on an offshore mudflat Tuesday, according to the Marine Mammal Center.
A minke whale — possible the same species as the animal reported off Emeryville — and a gray whale were found dead this month in separate incidents along other portions of the California coast.
The Marine Mammal Center had a responder evaluating the animal from the shore Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the center said. The East Bay Regional Park District and Alameda County Fire Department were also helping to assist the animal unbeach itself, the park district said on social media.
The whale was beached at the McLaughlin Eastshore State Park, officials said.
The whale was first sighted swimming in a similar area on April 2. Around 2 p.m. Monday, the whale was temporarily stuck in a mud patch in a shallow area of the bay during low tide, the center said. The whale remained calm and moved back into deeper waters on its own around 4:30 p.m. during high tide.
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The center noted that on Monday the whale “swam well under its own strength with good energy which our experts noted as a good sign.”
The center added that the whale’s exact age, sex and estimated length are not known. The center’s Cetacean Conservation Biology Team identified the whale to likely be a juvenile minke whale based on photographic evidence. When confirmed to be a minke whale, it will mark the fifth confirmed sighting in the past 16 years in the San Francisco Bay.
The biology team also noted that the whale is in good body condition. The whale had a section of red skin April 2 that on Tuesday appeared to be peeling white, which scientists said is likely healing from a skin condition or trauma.
