A humpback whale was spotted in a California river, 60 miles from its Pacific Ocean home
Denny Glover was hoping for a big catch when he went fishing with buddies on the Sacramento River, but he wasn't expecting a fully grown humpback whale.
A fully grown humpback whale was spotted in California's Sacramento River, approximately 60 miles inland from its typical Pacific Ocean habitat. Fisher Denny Glover encountered the whale while fishing for salmon and striped bass in the state's largest river. Initially, Glover and his companions were unsure of what they had witnessed, but they eventually recognized the whale by its distinctive spout.
The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito is monitoring the whale and plans to assess its condition. The center emphasizes that the public should maintain a respectful distance from the animal and refrain from attempting to change its course. Researchers have documented the whale 15 times in the past 24 years, with the most recent sighting in February in Baja California.
The whale's gender remains unknown. Humpback whales are known for their size, reaching up to 80,000 pounds, as well as their breaching behavior and underwater songs. Similar instances of humpback whales traveling inland have occurred before, with some eventually returning to the ocean.
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