36-foot humpback whale found dead in the middle of Amazon forest; experts baffled
The mammal showed no signs of injury and biologists from Bicho D’agua Institute believe it was already dead when waves carried it to the forest area.
Forest and sea experts in Brazil are baffled after a 36-foot humpback whale was found dead in the middle of the Amazon forest last week.
According to reports, the ten-tonne marine animal was discovered by locals on Marajo island off the Araruna Beach. Scientists are now saying the mammal may have reached the forest area after high tides threw it inland.
“We only found the whale because of the presence of scavenging birds of prey. The vultures were spotted circling above the carcass which was found hidden in the bush some distance from the sea,” Darlene Silva, Department of Health, Sanitation and Environment (Semma), told Journal O Liberal.
A team of experts from Semma visited the spot to investigate how the giant mammal landed in the middle of the dense rainforest.
However, the mammal showed no signs of injury and biologists from Bicho D’agua Institute believe it was already dead when waves carried it to the forest area.
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“We’re still not sure how it landed here, but we’re guessing that the creature was floating close to the shore and the tide, which has been pretty considerable over the past few days, picked it up and threw it inland, into the mangrove,” Marine specialist Renata Emin was quoted by The MIrror.
Humpback whales are usually seen on the northeast coast of Brazil between August and November and spotting them on the north coast in February is very rare, biologists said.
“Humpback whales don’t usually travel to the north. We have a record of one appearing in the area three years ago, but it’s rare,” said a biologist.