Giant Gooey, Smelly Whale Washes up on N. Oregon Coast

Published 04/15/2014

(Seaside, Oregon) – A big, smelly whale is making a splash on the north Oregon coast, as tons of visitors to Seaside are getting treated to a mass of hideously decaying flesh that was formerly a gray whale. (Photo courtesy Seaside Aquarium).

The 41-foot gray washed up early this morning, about a quarter mile south of the Seaside Turnaround. Seaside Aquarium manager Keith Chandler said his crew got the call at 8 a.m. but due to tides couldn't respond until late in the afternoon.

“It had been dead for quite some time,” Chandler said. “It wasn't gray anymore, either. It was more of a pumpkin color, because all you're seeing right now is the blubber. The skin had decayed away.”

Dr. Debra Duffield from the Marine Mammal Stranding Network in Portland came out and took measurements and tried to do as much of a necropsy as possible. But all that decayed whale flesh meant there was no way to tell how it had died.

The smell was the nasty highlight for many. Having landed in a fairly populated beach section, it allowed access for scores of visitors and residents to come and check it out, all of whom were gagging on the stink.

One Seaside resident said he could smell it at his house only a couple blocks away.

Scientists say to keep away from it and do not touch the carcass, as it could carry plenty of diseases. Dogs could especially be vulnerable.

Chandler said city officials will try to bury the whale in the coming day or so, depending on tidal conditions. The southern end of Seaside has less sand than the northern section, so that will be a hurdle.

The gray whale is so decayed it's practically what is known as a “globster.”

That famed - or infamous term - globster, with its paranormal legends, is really just a mass of decayed flesh from some sea creature that is so decomposed it’s absolutely unrecognizable. However, the term globster has shades of meaning derived from this phenomenon being interpreted as something otherworldly, like a sea monster – probably back in less enlightened times. It’s also sometimes referred to as a blob.

More deceased whale carcass photos from the Seaside Aquarium are seen below. More about Seaside at the Seaside, Oregon Virtual Tour, Map.

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