Killer Whale Washes Ashore

Long Beach, WA - A dead killer whale washed ashore over the weekend near Long Beach.

The 12-foot female orca was found Saturday about a mile north of the Cranberry Beach approach.

The Oregonian reports (http://is.gd/er3OxO ) Portland State University biology Professor Debbie Duffield and Cascadia Research biologists performed a necropsy Sunday on the animal.

Tiffany Boothe of the Seaside Aquarium says the whale had been dead for a while, but the necropsy revealed hemorrhaging, indicating major trauma.

The orca was between 3 and 6 years old. Photos and DNA testing may determine whether it was a member of the Puget Sound orca population.

Last month, a 39-foot sperm whale and 13-foot newborn gray whale washed ashore on the Long Beach Peninsula and a newborn orca was found dead in November.