Dead Humpback Whale Discovered In Amazon Forest Puzzles Scientists

There are millions of species of animals found in the Amazon rainforest, but a humpback whale is obviously not one of them. However, one of the planet's biggest creatures was discovered in the jungle, not at all close to its home in the Atlantic Ocean, and biologists are perplexed at how it wound up there.

The mammoth mammal was found on Brazil's Marajo Island, 50 feet from the shore. Scientists from Bicho D'Agua Institute posted photos of it on social media, describing it as a 12-month-old calf. Some experts believe the whale died after eating plastics from the ocean floor, then was swept along by the waves into the jungle. Apparently, there was a considerable tide recently that might have thrown the animal far inland, but no one is sure exactly how it wound up so far from the water.

Just as baffling is why a humpback whale was off the coast of Northern Brazil in February since that is far from it's natural habitat at this time of year. Biologists think the calf might have been migrating with its mother and gotten lost. The scientists were only able to find it when they saw vultures circling above the carcass.

Photo: Bicho D'agua Institute


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