Dead whale not one of the wayward humpbacks

The U.S. Coast Guard on Friday found a whale carcass in San Francisco Bay, but officials quickly determined it was not one of the wayward humpbacks that had swum up the Sacramento River by accident.

A dead California gray whale was found and scientists were expected to perform an autopsy to see if it died of natural causes or a run-in with a vessel.

Whales are a common sight in the open ocean just outside the Golden Gate.

The humpback mother and calf were thought to have slipped back out to sea unnoticed on Tuesday night or early Wednesday.

Thousands of people had traveled to the river and bay to try to catch a glimpse of the pair, dubbed Delta and Dawn.

Biologists said the chance to closely observe them for so long was invaluable for science.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Ariadne Green, 57, of Vallejo, caught a glimpse of the pair on Tuesday and earlier in the week at Rio Vista, where the whales had circled for several days near a bridge. She described the humpbacks' inland visit as a "profound spiritual experience" but was equally grateful for their departure.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Biologists said the saltier water where the mother humpback whale and her calf had been swimming since leaving the Rio Vista area helped reverse some of the health problems caused by long exposure to fresh water.

Recent photographs showed that serious wounds suffered by both whales appeared to be healing, said Rod McInnis, a spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Antibiotics were injected into the whales on Saturday to try to slow the damage from the gashes, likely from a boat's keel.

Lesions that had formed on the humpbacks' skin over the weekend also appeared to be sloughing off.