Taiwan recently saw its first ever blue whale on its shore. Unfortunately, the whale was starved to death by the time it was found and its death highlights the island’s ongoing pollution problem in its surrounding waters.
It took a team of a few dozen maritime scientists an entire day to dissect this dead whale, which was found washed ashore in late January.
Professor Wang Chien-ping from National Cheng Kung University later confirmed that it is a blue whale, the largest mammal on earth.
Wang said that the whale measures about 20 meters long and, judging from its bone structure, it was not yet fully grown. He said a fishing net was caught in the whale’s mouth. The net prevented it from eating and eventually the whale starved to death.
The professor said it was the first ever blue whale to be found dead on Taiwan’s shores. He said the event once again highlights the importance of maintaining marine ecology.