Scientists have completed their necropsy of a female killer whale found near Petersburg last week, though the cause of death is still to be determined.
According to a press release from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a team of eight scientists from four different agencies reached the whale carcass Monday to conduct the necropsy after the whale was first spotted by a Petersburg local on Friday. Scientists first attempted to reach the whale Sunday but were delayed by bad weather. The whale, located on Kupreanof Island, northwest of Petersburg, is accessible only by float plane.
The team found the whale had teeth that were "flattened" to the gum line, "indicating it was either a very old animal, or an offshore whale," NOAA reported. It was also identified as whale 0059, a female offshore whale first documented in the early 1990s, with sightings reported from California to the Bering Sea.
NOAA Fisheries spokeswoman Julie Speegle said in a phone interview Tuesday that scientists believe the whale to be approximately 40 years old.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says that although the exact lifespan of killer whales hasn't been determined, it "may be at least 50 years for males and 80 years for females."
Scientists found no indication of external injuries, though the whale did have a jaw infection. Offshore killer whales subsist primarily on sharks; the tough skin is known to wear down the whale's teeth.
Speegle said further samples were taken of the whale, though it's unclear when -- if ever -- the whale's exact cause of death will be determined.