There is a huge whale with an impressively curved back due to scoliosis, probably due to a collision with a ship or boat: the photos are dramatic and rare. It weighs over 40 tons and swims off the coast of Valencia, Spain. She was filmed with severe curvature in her 17m (56ft) long body in what appears to be just a pronounced case of scoliosis.
According to a Facebook post by the Oceanographic Foundation of Valencia (Valencia Oceanographic Foundation), who sent the rescue team, the whale’s ailment seemed so severe that it had distorted its entire anatomy.
The great whale with its back hunched over for a fight with a ship, photos
At first, when the captain of a local vessel spotted the poor creature from a distance, it looked like she was struggling to swim, as if entangled in a fishing boat’s net.
Once biologists and vets arrived on site, it became clear that the whale’s condition wasn’t quite what we expected: drone footage revealed a sharp deviation of the animal’s spine about halfway up the body.
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The biologists hoped to attach a tracker to the whale, but the malformation of the spine made it impossible.
After a few hours, the whale moved away from the coast, swimming with difficulty.
Scoliosis in whales and humans
Scoliosis in whales is rare, but when it does occur it tends to get our attention.
There is a common mechanical basis for scoliosis in humans and whales.
Our anatomy reduces rotational stability to more easily distribute weight for bipedal motion, meaning our spine can bend relatively easily without any obvious cause.
The anatomy of whales, on the other hand, it provides these marine giants with spines that are less prone to bending under the strain of posture and use with respect to our upright spine.
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What happened to the whale with scoliosis
In the case of the Valencian whale, it is unclear how his spine became deformed. As global shipping traffic increases, the possibility of an encounter with a powerful ocean-going vessel could explain his condition.
It is estimated that up to 20,000 whales die each year from collisions with boatsthose. most of these collisions concern fin whales – the second largest mammal in the world, which spends a lot of time near the surface of the ocean. Land humpback whales are the most common victims.
Just last year, a humpback whale with a broken back was followed by drone cameras as it swam from northern British Columbia to Hawaii.
Valencia Oceanographic Photo, BC Whales, Pexels, PIxabay, Todd Cravens on Unsplash, Joshua Sukoff on Unsplash, Venti Views on Unsplash, Freepik
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