A female humpback whale that washed up at a beach in the San Francisco Bay Area earlier this week might have been hit and killed by a ship.

The whale was examined by 15 scientists from the mammal center, the California of Academy of Sciences and the University of California, Davis. It was originally thought to be a juvenile but was later confirmed as an adult female.

According to Laura Sherr, Marine Mammal Center spokeswoman, scientists came to this conclusion after finding that the 42-foot whale had four fractured vertebrae, surrounding hemorrhaging and a broken rib.

Sherr mentioned that scientists did not find any further broken ribs, which makes a ship strike less definitive. Therefore, the specific cause of death still remains unknown.

Lauren Rust, research biologist at the mammal center, said, "Every whale stranding is an incredible opportunity to learn from these amazing animals and contribute to baseline data".

This was the second whale found within sight of the carcass of another 50-foot sperm whale that was discovered dead in Pacifica since mid-April.

Scientists said it's likely a coincidence that this is the second whale stranding in three weeks on the same beach. According to officials, ship strikes are a leading cause of whale deaths, along with entanglement in fishing gear.

Ship strikes of gray whales are the most commonly reported in California, followed by fin, blue, humpback and sperm whales.

A ship's crew is usually unaware that a strike has occurred when large vessels such as container ships are involved. Also, the number of ship strikes to whales is likely under-reported.

Sue Pemberton, curatorial assistant at California Academy of Sciences, said the examination will allow scientists to make recommendations for slower shipping speeds.