Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Humpback Whale Seen in the Coastal Town of Gibara

A humpback whale about 11 meters long and about 15 tons was spotted Tuesday by sport fishermen in the coastal town of Gibara, in Holguin.

Identified of similar proportions as one captured in coastal waters of Gibara 30 years ago, the cetacean was seen by Carlos Merino and Juan Tejeda in the area around the inlet of “La Canoa”. This inlet is located between Punta Rasa and Goleta, so the whale came to a relatively short distance from the coastline in the Atlantic waters.

The whale emerged about 40 meters from his small boat that seemed to be a huge vacuum, and observed that water vapor expelled from a hole in his head, said the two sport fishermen, then the huge mammal submerged in the ocean waters without paying any attention to the amazing fishermen.

The humpback is one of the 78 species of whales reported worldwide, which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Many of these animals often make long migrations during the colder months to warm areas, which includes the north region of Cuba and hence this humpback ride along the coast of Gibara. The finback or blue whale is among the biggest whales which can measure up to 30.5 meters long and weigh about 200 tons.

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