A young humpback whale was found stranded this Sunday in Reville, Cotentin, sparking curiosity about its origins. This incident follows the sighting of another young whale of the same species in the Seine River in mid-October. Could they be the same individual?
An autopsy of the stranded whale is scheduled for Tuesday, November 12, conducted by the National Stranding Network, coordinated by the Pelagis Observatory in La Rochelle. Scientists hope to determine if the two whales are connected by comparing witness photographs.
Eléonore Méheust from the Pelagis Observatory noted that the whale had distinctive pigmentation, which could aid in identification. However, the investigation is complicated due to a lack of clear photographic evidence. Identifying humpback whales typically relies on their tail flukes, and in this case, only a few photos of the whale's back are available.
Marine mammal specialist Benjamin Guichard from the French Biodiversity Office expressed skepticism about the two whales being the same. He mentioned that unless the whale from the Seine had traveled for nearly a month, it would likely have moved on. Sightings of a whale near Saint-Malo shortly after the Seine incident suggest it could be a different individual.
Humpback whales typically migrate through deeper waters off the coast of Ireland. However, when they stray, they can end up in shallow areas like the English Channel, making navigation difficult. Human activities, such as shipping traffic and offshore wind farm developments, further complicate their migration.
While rare, sightings of marine mammals in rivers have been recorded since the Middle Ages. There has been a noticeable increase in marine mammal strandings along French coasts, particularly among small cetaceans. Notably, humpback whale sightings have also risen in French waters, likely influenced by climate change, which affects fish populations and may alter whale distribution.