Whale and dolphin watchers have spotted a gray whale with no tail off the coast of Southern California.
Multiple sightings of the whale, which is missing its fluke, have been reported. Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari posted a YouTube video of the whale Tuesday, the day after Dana Wharf Whale Watch posted photos of the animal on its Facebook page.
Story continues below video.
The whale seems to be getting along fine without its fluke.
“It just goes to show how smart these mammals are, to be able to adapt so well without a limb,”
Capt. Tom White of Dana Wharf Whale Watching told GrindTV. “It was migrating along fine, although a little slower than what we usually see — about 3 knots instead of 4 or 5.”
The whale’s flukes may have fallen off after getting caught in fishing gear and losing circulation,
Sam Ridgway with the National Marine Mammal Foundation told UPI.
Audrey Evans of Birch Aquarium said she was shocked to see the whale while aboard the Flagship Cruises’ Murrieta when they spotted the whale Saturday.
“It didn't seem like it should be able swim along at the pace that it was swimming at, just because that driving force of that
tail was completely missing,” she told KGTV.
Twitter users commented about the disabled whale.
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