A deceased gray whale calf with tooth marks all over its body was found on a beach in Oregon this week.

Jim Rice, a program manager with the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network, told USA TODAY he was notified Tuesday of the 20-foot gray whale calf that washed ashore at Tish-A-Tang Beach in Bandon, Oregon.

Bandon is located in southern Oregon along the Pacific Ocean, about 140 miles southwest of Eugene.

The calf had widespread tooth marks over its body and “major trauma to the lower jaw and the underside of the body,” which Rice said indicated that it had recently died of severe injuries caused by “killer whale predation.”

What do whales eat? Inside the diet of blue, humpback, sperm and killer whales

What is a gray whale?

Gray whales are large whales, up to 49 feet long and weighing about 90,000 pounds. They have one of the longest migration patterns of any mammal, often traveling 10,000 to 14,000 miles round trip.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, they earned the nickname “devil fish” because of their aggressive response when harpooned by hunters. They were hunted nearly to extinction, but thanks to commercial whaling moratoriums and conservation efforts, they are now a protected species.

They mainly eat amphipod crustaceans, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and their only major predators are humans and killer whales.

Where are gray whales found?

Although they were once common throughout the Northern Hemisphere, gray whales are now mainly found in the North Pacific Ocean, according to NOAA.

OREGON – They came on their bikes, their skates and their own two feet Wednesday morning as part of the Oregon School District’s first “Bike & Roll Day.”

The event, in collaboration with the city of Oregon, Oregon Police Department and the Oregon Fire Department, was aimed at promoting physical activity among students and staff by encouraging them to bike, walk or skate to school.

Auston Kerce, 7, cruised into the Blackhawk Center parking lot on his decked out Spider-man bike, complete with decorated red webs on each fender.

“My grandpa and grandma got it for me,” he said excitedly before heading to a table to grab a free doughnut. “I just learned how to ride it without my training wheels.”

Right behind Auston was Makala Tsusaki, 10, who rolled in on her skates. Makala said it was not unusual for her to arrive at school on her “blades.” “Oh yeah, I do it, like, every day,” she said.

Students were greeted by school administrators and Oregon police and fire officials. Firefighters marked the gathering area by positioning their large ladder truck in front of the center’s main entrance and then raising the American flag high above the school campus.

Ryan Huels, principal of Oregon Elementary School, even jumped on a tiny pink scooter to personally escort some students into the staging area.

“He was just waiting for an excuse to get out and ride,” quipped one of the officers.

Heidi Deininger, principal of Oregon High School, said Wednesday’s event served two purposes.

“This is a two-fold effort today – one is activity. We want to encourage students and staff to ride their bikes or walk just to get their blood flowing this morning, but secondly, environmentally to ease up on the cars, gasoline and pollutants in the environment,” she said.

A steady stream of students buzzed into the parking lot on Hawk Drive between the junior/senior high school and Oregon Elementary to snare a free doughnut and visit with police officers and firefighters.

“We really promoted it just to get everyone to come together toward the end of the school year and to celebrate the beautiful weather,” Deininger said. “It’s important for the students to understand just how pollutants affect the environment. Oregon is a pretty small town, and we can certainly walk to school and ride our bikes and enjoy the small safe community that we have.”

Deininger hopes the day’s effort will continue to gain momentum in the community and motivate others to get out and enjoy the natural parks and recreational areas.

“I think by students embracing it kind of spreads to their parents and grandparents. I really feel in our schools we do a good job of helping students to understand how important it is to take care of the environment and look after it,” she said. “We just have a really gorgeous community; it is really important for our kids to understand what we have to do to make sure it stays that way.”

In September 2023, City Administrator Darin DeHaan announced an effort to receive a “Safe Routes to School Grant” from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The Safe Routes to Schools Grant program is a bi-annual funding opportunity administered by IDOT. The program funds infrastructure projects that improve conditions for walking and biking within 2 miles of an elementary, middle or high school.

DeHaan said the grant would cover 100% of the estimated project cost if awarded.

BANDON Ore. (KPTV) – A juvenile gray whale washed ashore at Tish-A-Tang Beach in southern Oregon this week after being attacked by orcas.

According to a statement by the Coquille Tribe, the tribe will handle the removal of the whale.

Jim Rice, the Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator with Oregon State University, came to the scene to help find out what led the 18-foot whale to wash-up near Face Rock on Monday, May 6.

The next afternoon, the Oregon Parks and Recreation department reached out to the Coquille Tribe and several tribal staff members took over responsibility of the mammal’s remains during a ceremony on the beach.

Gray whale deaths have cultural significance to the Coquille people.

“We are going to do what our people have done for thousands of years,” said MJ Parrish, one of the tribal members who helped in the retrieval of the whale. “We are going to celebrate this blessing we have received. We are going to respect this great gift and utilize everything we can.”

“We will make certain not to waste its sacrifice,” Chair Meade said, adding that in Coquille Tribal culture an act of this sort is seen as a gift from the creator. “To our knowledge, this is also the first time in generations that our tribe has been able to experience this kind of ceremony. So, this is a truly wonderful gift. And not only for the whale blubber and the bones that we will be able to use. As we prepare to celebrate 35 years since being officially restored as a federally recognized tribe, it is so important that we are able to take this opportunity for the cultural education of tribal members and especially for our youth.”

This area of the southern Oregon coast is of ancestral importance to the tribe.

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