WATCH: Massive Endangered Whale Washes Up On California Beach In Rare Scene

A 52-foot-long endangered fin whale washed up along Pacific Beach in San Diego on Sunday (December 12), attracting a crowd of concerned and curious individuals. According to FOX5 San Diego, after examining the creature, officials discovered that it was already dead when it washed up on the shore.

A few beachgoers commented on the rare sighting stating, "We thought it was a tarp from out in the water but eventually we realized that it was a whale, and I've never seen anything like it." Another individual shared that he's lived near the beach for seven years and has never even "seen a whale on the beach" until now.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research biologist Kerri Danil explained that an event like this happens at Pacific Beach once every five years. She explained that human aggression had nothing to do with the animal's death.

"We did an examination of the whale externally to look for signs of human interaction. What we can say is that it does not look like this animal died due to humans. We did see signs or evidence perhaps from scavenging from sharks, there were some rake marks in it, but nothing that would have killed this animal."

Fin whales inhabit all oceans and can grow up to 80-feet long. FOX5 explained that they are the second largest whale in the world next to the blue whale. It took rescue crews multiple hours to get the giant whale off the beach and back into the water.