A dead whale threatens to explode
What do you do with a blue whale weighing about 180 tonnes that has died and is threatening to explode its stinking insides all over your town? That is the unusual problem faced by the residents of a Canadian fishing town- since the 25-meter-long (80 feet) creature washed up last week on the shores of Trout River, Newfoundland, in Canada. The Whale carcass (dead body) has ballooned to more than twice its normal size as it fills dangerously with methane gas.Click on the cartoon to make it bigger!
Exploding whale cartoon- the Whiz Times
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What are the choices?
- They could drag the whale body into the sea. But because it is a dead body filled with gas, it will not sink and will float, thus causing danger to boats and ships who might bump into it!
- The whale could be left to naturally decompose - but that will cause the stink to remain for a long time and is also unhealthy.
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They could preserve the body and use it in a museum so that everyone could see how a Blue Whale looks like.
Actually, the potential danger of its "bursting up" is also quite limited. The carcass might just 'deflate' on its own (remember how a balloon loses its gas if left for a few days?) Also, recent photos show that indeed the whale is deflating on its own.When they take the whale's body (mostly bones) to the museum, it will take up to two years to painstakingly clean the bones. Thereafter the skeleton and tissue samples will be stored in the museum's research collection, so that researchers can study the samples. What do you think about the whale that washed up ashore? Did you like the cartoon? Share your opinions below.
