Young whale dies beached 800 meters inland from the British east coast

Saturday, October 1st 2011 - 01:02 UTC

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A young whale which died after it beached in the Humber Estuary is probably of a species rarely found stranded on the east British coast, conservationists have said. Read full article

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GeoffWard2
Why more north Sea whales?
When deep blue sea has less food, whales head for the continental shelf seas and bays, which are intrinsically more productive.
Oct 01st, 2011 - 06:03 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Conqueror
It's actually an argentine whale seeking political asylum. And major separation from the stench of most of South America.
Oct 02nd, 2011 - 04:02 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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GeoffWard2
A variety of small whale spp regularly get spotted in the main current stream of the Humber Estuary.

This one foraged across the 'flats' on the E Yorkshire side (National Nature Reserve), or it was sufficiently ill and debilitated such that it got washed in an eddy across the flats, where run-off is extremely rapid, leaving the whale, unsupported, to die in the fluid mud with its lungs crushed by its own mass.

The smell is atrocious, as I remember from my youth when I tracked-down previous beachings in the estuary and along the Holderness strand
Oct 02nd, 2011 - 06:48 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Donut
Question, why the hell is nobody asking how the thing got half a mile from the ocean!?!?!?!
Oct 02nd, 2011 - 10:20 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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GeoffWard2
#4,
this is one of the biggest and widest high-saltwater estuaries on the European coast and, because of the configuration, approached from the south, migration routes cause spp to enter the estuary.
Young whales LEARN to bypass it but often a not-yet-educated whale does make this mistake
Oct 03rd, 2011 - 06:27 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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