Inhabitants of the town of Puerto Elvira, located in Ancud, reported the discovery of a huge cetacean on Saturday afternoon on a small beach in this archipelago, located about 1,000 km south of Santiago. The National Fisheries Service (Sernapesca) went to the place and confirmed that it was a “huge cetacean belonging to the Balaenopteridae family,” as reported by the entity on its account on the previously mentioned social media platform.
“We participated in the identification of the species, and it is presumed that it is a blue whale,” added Sernapesca. The regional director of Sernapesca, Cristian Hudson, explained that due to the circumstances in which the cetacean was found, it is estimated that it would have died on the high seas and later stranded on the beach, as reported by local media.
Environmental groups warned that the area is subject to heavy maritime traffic by vessels of the aquaculture industry and have requested an investigation into whether the whale could have collided with one of these vessels.
According to the Cetacean Conservation Center (CCC) of Chile, the Balaenopteridae family is the most diverse of the whales, made up of six species of different sizes, ranging from the Minke, with approximately nine meters, to the majestic Blue whale, which can reach up to 30 meters in length and is considered the largest living being on our planet.