Humpback whale spotted 97 km from the ocean — Taipei Times
In California, an adult humpback whale was spotted in the Sacramento River about 97 km from its usual habitat in the Pacific Ocean. The animal was seen on Wednesday by fisherman Danny Glover, who was fishing for salmon and striped bass. As Taipei Times reports, Glover recorded several videos showing the whale surfacing in the state’s largest river.
The whale is scheduled to be examined
According to the Marine Mammal Center, the whale entered San Francisco Bay at the beginning of the week and moved east through the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, California’s largest river delta. The center’s cetacean research team plans to assess the animal’s condition and monitor it.
Cetacean conservation biology director Kathi George urged people not to interact with the whale or try to change its direction of travel. According to her, it is not yet known whether the animal is simply passing through the area or has an unknown health problem. Glover said the whale surfaced at regular intervals, moved fairly quickly, and did not behave erratically.
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The animal had already been recorded before
The whale was identified using a photo catalog: it has been documented 15 times over the past 24 years. Before this week, the animal was last seen in February in Baja California. Researchers have not yet determined the whale’s sex.
This is not the first case of humpback whales swimming far inland into the Sacramento Delta. In 1985, a whale named Humphrey spent several weeks near Rio Vista, while in 2007, a female and her calf, known as Delta and Dawn, spent nearly three weeks in the delta. In both cases, the animals later returned to the ocean.
