UPDATE: 1:29 p.m.: Authorities may try to remove the 20-ton whale on Thursday afternoon. Malibu spokeswoman Olivia Damavandi says it’s rare for large marine mammals to wash up in the area.

“Occasionally you’ll see different birds, maybe small mammals, you know, wash up on the beach. But of course, it’s not every day that you get a 40-foot whale that washes up to the beach," Damavandi said. "And you know, whales are obviously beautiful mammals and they’re very intriguing and, you know, but I think that’s one of the reasons that the public is so interested in the story.”

RELATED: Private firm tows rotting Malibu whale carcass out to sea

She says those who are curious to see the whale can do so, but they’ll have to deal with its rather unpleasant stench.

PREVIOUSLY: A whale carcass rotting near celebrity homes in Malibu is causing a gigantic cleanup problem as authorities try to decide who's responsible for getting rid of it.

The 40,000-pound carcass of a male fin whale washed up Monday between Paradise Cove and Point Dume. Experts say its injuries suggest it was hit by a ship.

A Malibu spokeswoman says the city isn't sure who's responsible for dealing with the 41-foot carcass, which will have to be towed out to sea at high tide.

Los Angeles County says its department of beaches and harbors isn't responsible. The county says it's a private beach and the state, not the county, controls the tidelands.

Jeff Hall, who posts "Photos and Stories of Marine Mammal Rescue and Wildlife Response!" on Twitter, sent the following Tweet with a link to several pictures. Below are a few tweets from him and others:

[&amp;amp;lt;a href="//storify.com/kpcc/rotting-whale" target="_blank"&amp;amp;gt;View the story "Rotting Whale" on Storify&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;]&amp;amp;lt;h1&amp;amp;gt;Rotting Whale&amp;amp;lt;/h1&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;h2&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/h2&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;Storified by 89.3 KPCC &amp;amp;amp;middot; Thu, Dec 06 2012 10:46:19&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;gt;Heading out to Point Dume to look at a whale....I'll let you know how it goes! @CritterChat #whaleJeff Hall&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;gt;Deceased Sei whale at Point Dume in Malibu happening right now! @critterchat #whale http://pic.twitter.com/M1aNFadvJeff Hall&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;gt;Correction, it's a Fin Whale. @CritterChat #whale http://pic.twitter.com/jdCZ1mTUJeff Hall&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;gt;Necropsy happening today with Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on the Fin Whale in Malibu. #whale #necropsyJeff Hall&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;gt;There are no words to describe the particular stench about my person right now. #deadwhale #istinkJeff Hall&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;