An endangered fin whale that washed up near a coastal trail in Alaska's largest city has attracted curious onlookers while biologists seek answers as to what caused the animal's death.

The colossal carcass, comparable in length to a college basketball court, drew a huge crowd as hundreds of locals flocked to the shore to catch a glimpse.

The carcass was found Saturday night along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, near the mouth of Fish Creek and just south of Westchester Lagoon. Biologists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been examining the animal — a young female, judging from its size and appearance.

Biologists say the whale, believed to be a young female, was first reported Saturday lying on mudflats near a popular trail.

In 2016, a dead fin whale showed up in Seward on the bow of a cruise ship. In the summer of the same year, a 60-foot fin whale was stranded close to the Port of Anchorage and then was found dead in another spot on the upper Knik Arm. Scientists weren’t sure why that whale died.

NOAA biologists are trying to determine how the whale died, while onlookers have gathered to see the large carcass.

A massive fin whale washed ashore in Anchorage, Alaska over the weekend, prompting crowds of onlookers and biologists to study the carcass of the 47ft female. Staff from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are taking samples to determine a possible cause of death.