Dead gray whale
The dead gray whale
The remains of a large gray whale washed ashore on a stretch of beach between Emma Wood and Solimar in Ventura County.

Birds perched on top of the whale for much of the day.

The gray whale is large enough to see from the roadway.


Ventura County Sheriff's deputies taped off the parking area nearby, even though it is already closed to stop the spread of COVID-19, but that didn't stop people from walking along the beach to get a closer look.

Some people posed for pictures.

Wildlife experts visited the whale, but have not released any details on how it may have died.

The whale showed up on Friday and could wash back out to sea naturally.