POINT MUGU : Ship’s Propeller Killed Blue Whale

A blow to the head from the propeller of a ship killed the rare blue whale that recently washed onto San Nicolas Island’s Red Eye Beach, according to scientists’ findings reported Saturday.

The 80-foot-long, 90-ton whale was discovered on the beach Tuesday by two civilian Navy employees.

The whale was a 10- to 20-year-old female. A scientific team that included biologists from the National Marine Fisheries Service and Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History believe the whale collided with a ship and was struck by its propeller, according to the Associated Press. The propeller left a 10-by-10 foot bruise just below the animal’s jaw.