Mystery surrounds dead humpback whale discovered in Amazon rainforest

Mystery surrounds dead humpback whale discovered in Amazon rainforest

Animal experts have been left perplexed after the carcass of a juvenile Humpback whale was discovered inland, in a remote mangrove swamp in the Amazon rainforest.

Wildlife experts are searching for clues following the discovery of a dead humpback whale in the Amazon jungle – about 15 metres from the ocean.

Scientists rushed to find the carcass, estimated to be 11m long and 6m wide, after videos of a flock of vultures surrounding the decomposing mammal, appeared online.

The whale, believed to be a 12-month-old calf, was found Friday on the island of Marajo in Brazil’s north, where the rainforest meets the ocean.

Conservationists from the Bicho d’Agua Institute, who were present at the scene, believe the humpback got separated from its mother, before being launched ashore by high tides during a storm.

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A group of 10 biologists from the organisation have since collected samples from the carcass in a bid to determine how the animal died – there were no visible wounds to be noted on the first inspection.

Dr Renata Emin, the project leader from the institute, said: “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.”

Brazil’s environmental agency told reporters that the whale would be left in the forest since there is no way that bulldozers would be able to reach the site. The skeleton will, however, be taken apart and sent to a natural history museum in the nearby city of Belem.

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