Four whales found stranded in Kodiak this week

Local scientists aren't sure yet what caused these whales' deaths. At least three out of the four are gray whales.

AI Comment from GPT 5:

Four whale carcasses were reported around Kodiak in mid-July, at least three of them gray whales, with rapid decomposition limiting a full necropsy on the Surfer’s Beach animal; the Sun’aq Tribe plans to examine the others to determine causes of death and to confirm the fourth whale’s species. Van Daele notes six dead gray whales on the archipelago so far this year—several young males—and points to prior seasonal patterns of starvation and orca predation, alongside a later-than-usual arrival of live whales.

The related posts echo and expand on these patterns. Reports from last summer describe elevated gray whale mortality around Kodiak, with 11 dead gray whales documented in 2025 and evidence that some were undernourished while five bore signs of orca predation, reinforcing the post’s mention of starvation and killer whale attacks as recurrent findings Bad week for Kodiak’s migrating gray whales. Earlier years show similar pulses of strandings near Kodiak, including three gray whales in one week in 2018 with at least one attributed to a killer whale attack Three dead gray whales wash up on Kodiak Island beaches in one week, and multiple gray whale deaths during the 2019–2023 Unusual Mortality Event, when many animals were described as skinny or malnourished 2 more gray whales found dead near Kodiak Island, Alaska’s third dead gray whale of the year reported on Kodiak coast. Other Kodiak strandings in recent years—such as the emaciated fin whale in late 2023 Rare fin whale found dead near Kodiak and the 2023 humpback with signs of a ship strike and predator wounds Humpback found dead near Kodiak gets Alaska's first 2023 whale necropsy—underline that multiple species experience a mix of causes that can include poor condition, predation, and trauma. A rare Cuvier’s beaked whale found in early 2024 showed a full stomach and possible entanglement, highlighting how cause-of-death determinations can differ even when animals appear thin externally Cuvier’s beaked whale found dead on Kodiak Island. Together, these posts frame this week’s strandings within a multi-year pattern around Kodiak in which gray whales, in particular, have repeatedly turned up undernourished or with signs of orca predation, while necropsies remain critical for distinguishing among potential causes.