The contents of the stomach of the gray whale that washed up on a beach in West Seattle last week:

In a news release, the research organization said the animal found Thursday had more than 50 gallons of material in its stomach. Most was algae, typical of the bottom-feeding whales, but "a surprising amount of human debris" also was found. Besides the pants and golf ball, the trash included more than 20 plastic bags, small towels, surgical gloves, plastic pieces and duct tape.

Gee, I thought all those plastic garbage bags we couldn't learn to live without—or slap a tax on—were being carefully reused or used to pick up dog poop and clean out kitty litter boxes. But it turns out that a significant number of those plastic bags are, in fact, making their way into Puget Sound, where they are being eaten by marine mammals. No one could've predicted.