CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SEAL BEACH : Natural Causes Seen in Whale’s Death

A 38-foot gray whale that washed ashore probably died of natural causes, but biologists said they doubt they will be able to determine the exact cause of the 15-ton mammal’s death. Biologists from the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History removed blubber and muscle samples for testing. The dead whale was the second to wash ashore in Orange County this year. In February, the remains of an 18-foot gray whale were found in Laguna Beach and authorities determined that its death may have been caused by a gill net, a device that has been responsible for the deaths of other mammals. Biologists said it is unlikely that a gill net was responsible for the death of the whale found at Seal Beach.