humpback-whale
Whales are fascinating creatures. Even though these creatures are big they are on the verge of extinction. There are many ways of how whales can get killed like hunting, being struck by ships, or through natural processes like aging. When a whale loses its life, it sinks to the bottom of the ocean then fishes like deep-sea sharks and other fishes eat the soft tissue. Then creatures like Osedax mucofloris the bone-eating worm join the feast and begin to eat the bones. Believe it or not but this process can take up to 30 years. But on some rare occasions the whale’s body drifts up to the beach and if nothing is done to move the carcass online then it will go to the point where it blows up like a balloon. The biology behind this is that as the whale is dead it won’t be able to get out gases like methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. And the blubber before the already tough skin these gases have no way to escape. These gases build up in large internal organs. This creates a highly acidic environment in the cells rupturing their membranes. Then bacteria eat the carbohydrates present in the whale’s body which cause the organs to liquefy and release more gases. This causes the carcass to bloat up and once the whale’s body cannot handle any more pressure it explodes like a balloon. Through spots like the rectum, mouth, and other internal organs. But surprisingly the whale’s body can handle a lot of pressure and these explosions are usually caused by humans. Sometimes people try to climb on a dead whale or the beach crew tries to move it causing a rupture in the skin leading to a massive explosion that can cause severe injuries. As the whale’s body parts are huge, no scavenger can eat it. Also, there is a chance of coming into contact with deadly bacteria on the carcass’s skin that can deadly infections. There are nearly 2,000 whale strandings every year. This is why we must stay away from the dead whale and let it decompose naturally so that we can protect ourselves and our loved ones.
