Dead whale washes ashore in Newport Beach

A necropsy is expected to be performed on Thursday after a dead whale washed ashore in Newport Beach on Wednesday. 

According to Sophia Felger of the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, the large whale was seen around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. 

It washed ashore near 13th Street, between the Newport and Balboa piers close to Newport Elementary School.

The juvenile humpback whale was already dead when it washed ashore and it was reported to have been floating south earlier in the day, Felger said. 

The Pacific Marine Mammal team was on site along with Newport Beach lifeguards and Marine Safety. 

A full necropsy was postponed to Thursday due to rough waves and rising tide, although some necropsy samples were taken Wednesday. 

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center will return to the site to conduct the necropsy and work with the city to remove the large animal.