Why Do Dead Whales Explode?
Not all of them do, but several cases where dead whales explode have been documented. In this article we’ll tell you all about this ‘phenomenon’ that catches the attention of researchers and laypeople.
why whales run aground
The stranding of whales – among other cetaceans – is one of the reasons these large marine mammals die.
This is nothing new, as there are records of stranded whales from ancient times. In many cases, the animals themselves decide to move to the coast when they are sick or old.
This may also happen because, for some reason, they are disoriented after colliding with a set of rocks – or even trying to escape some danger into the sea and end up finding themselves close to the coast, from where they cannot escape and, eventually they die.
We must also add other causes of grounding, for which the human is completely responsible. For example, ocean pollution has changed the color, temperature and appearance of waters.
Furthermore, due to global warming, the planet’s cold areas – the poles – are disappearing and whales don’t know where to go at certain times of the year.
Why do some dead whales explode?
This situation has been documented on several occasions and in different areas of the world, so it is not an isolated case or something ‘accidental’.
To explain, we have to know that when a living being dies, a part of his body still remains alive for a while, as is the case with the digestive system.
The stomach and intestines do not “know” that the body has died and continue to work with what they have available.
For this reason, there is an accumulation of gases such as hydrogen sulfide and methane. In addition to microbial reproduction related to decomposition of the body, which results in massive swelling that can end in an explosion.
This doesn’t mean that all the whales that run aground or die on the beaches will explode, because there are a lot of other factors involved.
For example, the type of bacteria in the animal’s stomach, the cause of death, what food was eaten in the last few days, pre- and post-mortem injuries and what the weather conditions are: with high temperatures they are more likely to produce cold gases.
In turn, we must keep in mind that the bloated body and initial putrefying state of a beached whale can suffer what is known as “mechanical stress” when trying to remove it with a crane.
Known Examples of Exploded Dead Whales
If we look for episodes in which whales exploded, we will certainly find the case that happened in the 70s in Oregon, United States.
But in this case, the explosion was unnatural, but it was decided to put dynamite inside the corpse in order to remove it from the shore.
But we can talk about what happened in Taiwan, precisely in Tainan, where in 2004 the accumulation of gases inside a decaying 17-meter, 50-ton sperm whale caused a huge explosion.
This explosion splashed entrails and blood over all passersby, shops, cars and surrounding streets. “Stick” and “stickiness” were the words the witnesses used to report the event.
Something similar happened in the Faroe Islands in 2013 and was documented by a local channel. When a worker tried to manipulate the corpse of a dead marine mammal on the beach, it exploded due to the accumulation of gas in the stomach.
In places where stranded whales and cetaceans are common, people usually cut the dead animal’s belly to avoid this type of situation.
The problem with this practice is that the expulsion of internal fluids attracts birds and even sharks very close to shore.
