A colossal 20-tonne blue whale has washed up on a secluded beach, leaving bystanders in awe of its immense size.
This enormous 50-foot-long carcass was initially discovered by fishermen who promptly alerted environmental authorities.
The whale’s magnitude was so staggering that it made the nearby pickup truck brought by officials appear minuscule in comparison.
When observed from above in a drone photograph, the blue whale seems to be nearly triple the length of the vehicle.
This remarkable discovery took place near the town of Artilleros, situated west of Montevideo, Uruguay.
Notably, it marks the first time in over a century that a blue whale has washed up on the shores of Uruguay.
Julio Medina, spokesperson for the Kerayvoty Nature Reserve, revealed that the whale was initially spotted last Friday (22 Sept). However, reaching the remote site proved challenging for officials due to its limited accessibility.
Authorities estimate that the blue whale had been deceased for at least 10 days by the time it was discovered.
Mr. Medina provided further details, stating, “It is a whale that weighs around 20 tonnes or so. It measures 15.5 metres in length and 3.4 metres in width.”
Jaime Coronel, spokesperson for the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries, explained that scientists will collect samples from the carcass to determine the precise cause of the whale’s demise.
This incident follows a similar occurrence where a blue whale washed up in southern Chile.
Mr. Coronel addressed concerns by stating, “It is not an animal that has been reported to have suffered from avian influenza, like in other countries. So we would estimate in principle that there is no relationship because there is no previous case, given that this affected Chile and Argentina in areas where these animals are more common.”
He added that disposing of the massive whale’s carcass will require a “fairly complex operation.”
