The giant marine mammal was first spotted by residents of the city of Ancud, on Chiloe Island. The Pacific Ocean beach is some 1000 kilometres (620 miles) south of the capital Santiago.
Agents of Sernapesca, a Chilean national fishing agency were sent to investigate. The agents have confirmed that the carcass was that of “a large cetacean of the family of Balaenopteridae,” they posted on the X platform formerly known as Twitter.
“We helped identify the specimen and, based on preliminary evidence, it is a blue whale,” the agency added.
Cristian Hudson, Sernapesca’s regional director told local media that “given its condition, the whale must have died at sea some time ago and drifted in that state.”
According to environmental groups, the area’s waters sea heavy maritime traffic and are also used by the fishing industry. The environmental groups have called for an investigation in order to determine whether the whale died because of a collision with a ship.
Cetacean Conservation Center (CCC), a non-governmental organisation, the family of Balaenopteridae, or rorquals, includes a variety of species, ranging from the nine-metre (30-foot) minke whale to the blue whale — which at up to 30 metres is considered the largest animal on Earth.
Source : wionews
