But experts mystified as to what killed young gray whale in Puget Sound
(AP) - A gray whale found dead in Washington state's Puget Sound had been scarfing down shrimp—and also a golf ball, woody debris, algae, pieces of rope and plastic, and some sort of flat spongy material. The garbage was minimal and not the cause of death, which remains under investigation, a NOAA Fisheries spokesman says. But it's common for whales to pick up debris near urban areas because they are filter feeders. "Whatever trash and debris sitting on the sea floor in that sediment is trapped inside the mouth, and it will then swallow," says a NOAA coordinator. More»
