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June 3, 2018

A giant blue whale has been spotted in the Gulf of Aqaba in The Red Sea. This is the first time such incident has been reported because blue whales are not known to wander into shallower waters enclosed by land.

According to Egypt’s environment ministry, the 24 meters long whale is a pygmy blue whale, an endangered subspecies of blue whale usually found in the Indian Ocean and the southern Pacific Ocean. The Egyptian authorities are keeping an eye on its movement as it is not clear why it’s behaving in a peculiar manner.

The blue whale is the largest mammal on the planet. An average blue whale is of a size of a basketball court with its tongue weighing around 2.7 metric tons, the average size of an Asian elephant. The spectacular creature is usually found roaming in deep seas and in this time of the season, they move towards the water with cooler temperatures as part of their migration routine.

But that’s not the case with this particular blue whale. The Red Sea is actually a warmer spot for the humongous mammal. Many suspects that the poor whale is lost in the sea.

The whale poses no threat to divers and swimmers because it is a very calm creature. Locals, as well as tourists, were shocked to see the whale. Many took videos and shared it on social media. Steering far away from its course can have serious consequences. The warmer seas do not contain much krills, the primary food source of the blue whale. It may starve. That would be a sad blow to an already dwindling population.

The blue whales have been listed as endangered with only 25,000 left in the world. They were being ruthlessly hunted in the 1960s and nearly went extinct. In 1967, they gained worldwide protection status. The population is on a rise since then but still in a fragile state.

Apart from hunting, major factors like ocean pollution, sound pollution, habitat loss, climate change, overfishing, fishing nets, collision with big ships are threatening the small population of the big creatures.

Since the blue whale has been spotted, it seems to be in a good condition. We hope that it stays that way and returns back to where it came from.