A pod of 65 long-finned pilot whales beached themselves on Tasmania’s far north-west coast over the weekend. Rescuers were able to return 11 of the survivors back to the sea.
Today marks the 38th anniversary of the legendary Exploding Whale. The story goes as follows: On this same day in 1970, news reporter Paul Linnman reported on an unusual story that developed into an even more unusual incident. He traveled to the southern coast of Oregon to report on a forty-five foot, eight ton whale that had washed up on shore. The State Highway Division, who was in charge of disposing of the whale, came up with the solution to blow it up with dynamite.
The plan didn’t go as smoothly as they’d hoped. After the wild explosion, huge pieces of whale began to fall dangerously onto the curious crowd of spectators, including Linnman.
David Sheridan was kiteboarding off Valla Beach, AU on October 26 when he had a brush with a gigantic right whale. And get this… right after the his sail-mounted camera snapped this pic, the whale flicked its tail and smacked him in the back of the head.
Good thing that camera was there, but too bad it didn’t get a shot of the smackdown.
Officials are warning people to stay out of the water at Sorrento Beach in Perth, Australia as sharks have been seen circling the carcass of a dead whale.
The 45 ft whale, thought to be a humpback, drifted onto the beach last night… but I’m pretty sure the sharks are still hanging out.
Moko the dolphin, a regular visitor to the coast of Mahia on the east Coast of New Zealand’s North Island, became an instant hero after leading two stranded pygmy whales back out to sea.
Moko, who’s been visiting the beach at Mahia on and off over the summer, arrived on the scene in the nick of time.
The disoriented mother and calf had resisted attempts by humans to to be herded back out to sea, and kept restranding on the beach, to the point where they would likely have to be killed.
Then Moko appeared, swam right up to the whales, exchanged some sort of dolphin/whale sounds, and led them out to sea!
The whale was spotted in Alaska last month while scientists aboard a National Oceanic research ship were conducting an acoustic survey of pollock near Steller sea lion haulout sites.
It had been spotted once in the Aleutians years ago but had eluded researchers since.
