Wildlife experts from Brazil were shocked after they found a dead humpback whale washed away deep into the Amazon rainforest.
The 10-ton mammal was found in the jungle on the Marajo Island at the mouth of the Amazon River at a period when it should’ve been thousands of miles away in Antarctica.
The Bicho D’ Agua members discovered the whale after they followed vultures that circled a mangrove on the Marajo Island in Amazon. 50 feet away from the shore, the lifeless humpback was spotted. It was 26 feet long and lodged in the thick shrubs.
The Para government officials in the north of Brazil said that it had already been dead for a couple of days at the moment they discovered it.
Humpback Whales Live in the Atlantic Ocean, but they Migrate at this Period
Even though tens of thousands of humpback whales live in the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil, almost all of them migrate south by the time summer arrives in the Southern Hemisphere, in order to feed in Antarctica.
However, this particular humpback was found 4000 miles away from its expected grounds for feeding; a shocking discovery that left scientists puzzled.
For the president of Bicho D’Agua, Renata Emin, they suppose it was floating so the tide took it into the mangrove. So, the question is what was the humpback whale doing in February on the northern coast of Brazil because it’s quite unusual.
What Did the Exams of the Dead Whale Show?
The biologists examined the carcass and looked for signs of how it might have died. They also took the needed samples for necropsy. The whale was too large and in a very remote location to be completely removed.
According to Ms. Emin, the group’s hypothesis is that the young whale had dethatched from its mom prior to dying. Humpbacks are known to travel great distances on a yearly basis and migrate to and from the poles.
The ones in the Northern Hemisphere migrate to tropical waters before they return north in the summer. In the southern hemisphere, they go south in February and go back north in their winter, in the season for breeding.
Ms. Emin noted that the group wanted to examine the whale thoroughly so that they find the exact reason for its death. They made reports from collected information and looked at body marks to conclude if it was hit by some boat or trapped in a net.
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