Residents of the locality of Puerto Elvira, in the urban area of Ancud, had reported on Saturday afternoon the discovery of this gigantic cetacean on a small beach in the archipelago, about a thousand kilometers south of the capital Santiago.
Dispatched to the scene, the Chilean national fishing service (Sernapesca) confirmed that it was indeed "a large cetacean of the Balenopteridae family", on the social network X (ex-Twitter). "We helped identify the specimen and it is preliminary evidence that it is a blue whale," Sernapesca added. Its regional manager Cristian Hudson, quoted in local media, indicated for his part that "given its condition, the whale must have died at sea some time ago and would have drifted in this state."
Investigation requested
Environmental defense associations have pointed out that the area is heavily frequented by boats from the aquaculture industry and heavy maritime traffic. They asked for an investigation to establish if the animal was the victim of a collision. According to the Chilean Cetacean Conservation Center (CCC), the Balenopteridae (or rorqual) family is very varied, including several species, ranging from about nine meters for the minke whale, up to 30 meters for the blue whale. , which is therefore considered the largest animal on Earth.
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