Forest and sea experts in Brazil are perplexed after a 36-foot humpback whale was found dead in the middle of the Amazon forest on Friday. According to ABC News, the whale was found on the island of Marajo, at the mouth of the Amazon River, about 15 metres from the ocean.
The sea creature may have already been dead when it was washed ashore during high tides and came to rest in the mangroves, said an NGO working on Marajo Island, the Bicho D’agua Institute.
Marine specialist Renata Emin stated that “We’re still not sure how it landed here, but we’re guessing that the creature was floating close to the shore and the tide, which has been pretty considerable over the past few days, picked it up and threw it inland, into the mangrove.”
“Along with this astonishing feat, we are baffled as to what a humpback whale is doing on the north coast of Brazil during February because this is a very unusual occurrence,” she added.
The Maritime Herald suggested the animal may have been killed by swallowing marine plastics, and then the body washed up on shore. Biologists will now collect forensic samples to determine the cause of the whale’s death.