Posted on 11/17/2007 6:44:54 PM PST by BGHater
The whale's back and fin were out of water and exposed to the sun
A 5.5m long minke whale has been spotted more than 1600km (994 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean, deep inside the Amazon rain forest.
The whale ran aground earlier this week but after being freed with the help of vets and biologists it disappeared shortly afterwards.
It is the second time this week in Brazil that a lost animal has been spotted in an unexpected location.
The minke whale ran aground on a sandbar deep inside the Amazon.
Local people had been splashing water on the whale's back and fin while it was exposed to the hot Amazon sun.
The whale is said to weigh about 12 tons.
Reports of a mysterious animal in the area had been causing alarm among locals near to the Tapajos river, a tributary of the Amazon.
Experts say the animal could have been in the area for a couple of months.
After the whale was freed, helicopters and boats were involved in a search of the area but nothing was found.
A biologist said it was thought the animal became separated from its group and swam upstream, until it ran aground near Santarem in Para state.
While it is not unprecedented, it is unusual for whales to venture so far into fresh water.
Beach alligator
The whale is not the only animal to get lost in Brazil this week.
On Thursday a young reptile - which was 1.5m long - turned up at a popular beach in Rio de Janeiro and had to be rescued by firemen.
They had been searching for the alligator for some time and had closed Barra beach, but despite this some swimmers insisted on entering the water.
The caiman, or yellow stomach alligator as it is known in Brazil, was taken to a local zoo for treatment for a broken leg.
This endangered species is normally found in freshwater swamps and marshes, and the fire service in Rio said it was the first time they had rescued one from the sea.
Kinda freaky.
Do you think the whale might have swum up the river, on porpoise?
Dumb whale. Shoulda took the Panama Canal to get to the Pacific ocean.
"Do you have a license for that minke?"
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The Atlas of North American Freshwater Fishes describes the bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) as an aggressive shark that reaches 10 feet in length and has been known to attack man. Its range extends as far up the Mississippi River as Alton, Illinois.
According to the Illinois Department of Conservation, two commercial fishermen from Alton, Herbert Cope and Dudge Collins, caught a bull shark in 1937. They found something troubling their wood and mesh traps late that summer. Concluding that it was a fish, they built a strong wire trap and baited it with chicken guts.
The next morning, they caught a 5-foot 84-pound shark, which they displayed in the Calhoun Fish Market where it attracted crowds for days. Although some folks suspected a hoax, the catch was considered authentic. Biologists later concluded from photos that it was a bull shark. Recently, Clint Smith of Alton supplied an old photo of the catch, with the present-day ADM flourmill in the background.
Bull sharks can live a long time in freshwater. In 1972, one was caught 2,500 miles up the Amazon. The journey from New Orleans to Alton is about 1,750 miles. Dams now prevent sharks from entering Illinois.
Maybe it was looking for another whale - Algore.
Mr. Owens was cool. :-)
If a 16.5 foot, 12 ton critter, wants to go up river exploring, who are we to say he shouldn’t.
Interesting. We’ve had alligators and manatees find (or lose) their way to Memphis. Must be the Elvis attraction.
I think a guy that swam his way through the canal was charged 35¢, but that was decades ago.
Chimpanzee Minke? /obscure
And this is potentially how a new species of whale that lives in fresh water evolves.
“I knew I should have turned left back there.”
My in-laws?
There’s a Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy joke in there somewhere... Must be...
gosh,
betcha the u.s. navy
is responsible,
huh?
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Whale with swimmers