A 49-foot humpback whale named Fran died after being struck by a ship, scientists have said. The dead whale was spotted on a beach in Half Moon Bay, California on Sunday.

A necropsy revealed that one of her vertebrae was fractured and her skull was dislocated. The researchers who had been keeping track of her health said that she was perfectly healthy and well-nourished and that the skull injury she received was most likely caused by a ship.

"I still feel nauseous. This is somebody in the family. We know her. It's somebody you spent time with," Alisa Schulman-Janiger, a research associate at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, told SF Gate.

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"She has a quirky personality. She likes to come up to boats, but not necessarily mug them. She's a great feeder, she has her friends and relatives who she hangs out with. She's full of personality. I haven't gotten used to saying 'she was'."

The researchers said that she also had a child, but it is unclear if it is alive or not. As many as four whales, including Fran, have washed up on the shore this year due to ship collisions in the area.

Fran was something of a local celebrity. She was also the most frequently spotted whale in California. These whales are known for their beautiful songs that can travel great distances in the oceans.

Fran was only 17 years old and potentially had years left to live since the species can live up to 90 years. They are found in every ocean in the world. However, their numbers have come down significantly despite a ban on commercial whaling since 1985.

The biggest threats to their existence are collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing nets and equipment. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there have been 101 large whale vessel collisions since 2013 in the US West Coast Region.

whale entanglement
An untangled humpback whale. NOAA
California