The body of a grey whale drew crowds and on-lookers on a beach in Malibu, California on Sunday.
A cordon was put in place around the 12-metres-long carcass.
The Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute plans on performing an autopsy to find out the cause of the mammal's death.
The whales typically migrate north along the coast of California between March and May. Every year, their round trip from Mexico, where they spend the winter, and the Arctic for feeding is around 16,000km.
They can stay submerged for about 15 minutes but resurface every three to five minutes for air.
