A blue whale, mammal considered the largest animal on earth, washed up on a beach on the island of Chiloé in southern Chile, after dying at sea, local authorities announced on Sunday. Residents of the locality of Puerto Elvira, in the urban area of Ancud, had reported on Saturday afternoon the discovery of this gigantic cetacean on a small beach in the archipelago, about a thousand kilometers south of the capital Santiago. . Dispatched to the scene, the Chilean national fishing service (Sernapesca) confirmed that it was indeed “a large cetacean of the Balenopteridae family”, on the social network X (ex-Twitter).
“We helped identify the specimen and it is believed to be a blue whale,” the Sernapesca added.
#LosLagos: a large cetáceo of the family Balaenopteridae, varó muerto in Puerto Elvira, Ancud. Asistimos has identified the species and se trataría, preliminarily, of a ballena azul. El cambio de marea impidió la toma de muestras por lo que continuaremos el monitoreo. pic.twitter.com/o6II0Zqn4A
— Servicio Nacional de Pesca y Acuicultura (@sernapesca) August 5, 2023
Its regional manager Cristian Hudson, quoted in local media, indicated for his part that “given its condition, the whale must have died at sea some time ago and would have drifted in this state”.
An investigation has been opened to determine the cause of death.
Environmental defense associations have pointed out that the area is heavily frequented by boats from the aquaculture industry and heavy maritime traffic. They asked for an investigation to establish if the animal was the victim of a collision.
Hallan una inmensa ballena azul muerta en una playa del sur de Chile https://t.co/YxlTiWLiVNpic.twitter.com/CFbqRY6VKg
— Noticia al Día (@noticiaaldia) August 6, 2023
According to the Chilean Cetacean Conservation Center (CCC), the family Balenopteridae (or rorquals) is very varied, including several species, ranging from about nine meters for the minke whale to 30 meters for the blue whale, which is therefore considered the largest animal on earth.