Justdroppedin
08-10-2020, 05:09 PM
Named Blade Runner because she survived being cut up by a boat propeller in 2001
https://i.redd.it/wyo97kbgjzf51.jpg
This whale is probably pretty fine, actually! She was last sighted in 2013, a whole 12 years after the incident (and she could very well still be out there). Living in the ocean ain't no picnic; if she'd been slowed down too much she would have been lunch for sharks or orcas long ago. Humpback whales don't rely only on their tails for swimming, nearly all of the steering and a lot of the overall power comes from their pectoral (side fins) - out of all whales, humpbacks have the largest pectoral fins in proportion to the rest of their body. Like, don't get me wrong, those are definitely serious wounds. But overall if she survived and managed to swim with the initial injury when she was bleeding and in pain, the scars probably won't be a problem.
Also, during the 2013 sighting she had a calf with her. Out there living and straight up thriving.
https://i.redd.it/wyo97kbgjzf51.jpg
This whale is probably pretty fine, actually! She was last sighted in 2013, a whole 12 years after the incident (and she could very well still be out there). Living in the ocean ain't no picnic; if she'd been slowed down too much she would have been lunch for sharks or orcas long ago. Humpback whales don't rely only on their tails for swimming, nearly all of the steering and a lot of the overall power comes from their pectoral (side fins) - out of all whales, humpbacks have the largest pectoral fins in proportion to the rest of their body. Like, don't get me wrong, those are definitely serious wounds. But overall if she survived and managed to swim with the initial injury when she was bleeding and in pain, the scars probably won't be a problem.
Also, during the 2013 sighting she had a calf with her. Out there living and straight up thriving.