Watch video: Whale spotted with hunched back – Video shows marine mammal with severe scoliosis.
A boat captain spotted a 40-ton fin whale coming perilously close to shore off the Spanish coast of Valencia. The boatman noticed that the huge animal clearly had problems moving.
At first he assumed that the fin whale was caught in a fishing net. However, when biologists and veterinarians were summoned, it quickly became clear that the colossal sea giant was suffering from severe scoliosis. Drone footage shows the completely twisted spine of the approximately 17 meter long animal. The clear misalignment of the back can be clearly seen in the pictures. Unfortunately, the vets who rushed to the scene were unable to place a tracking device on the whale. This would have given the experts important information about the condition and movement profile of the fin whale. After some time and under the supervision of the relief workers, the whale retreated to the open sea. Experts believe it is quite possible that the deformed fin whale will appear near the coast again in the next few days due to its poor condition.