Dead whale towed from Oakland to Angel Island

A dead whale that washed up near the Oakland waterfront over the weekend was towed Monday to Angel Island to get it out of the way of ships and so marine biologists can investigate the cause of death.

Marine Mammal Center spokesman Giancarlo Rulli tells San Francisco television station KTVU the female cetacean is either a blue or fin whale and is between 40 to 60 feet long.

Rulli says the U.S. Coast Guard called the center on Saturday to report a whale carcass floating near Oakland's Howard Terminal.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday used two boats to tow the carcass to an area near Blunt Point on Angel Island.

Rulli says the whale is believed to be "sub-adult" and was in "good body condition."

He says a necropsy will be performed to determine a cause of death once the weather clears.