Blue whale filmed in UK waters
A blue whale has been captured on film for what is thought to be the first time ever in English waters.
The sighting occurred around 400km off the coast of Cornwall on the 24th August. The huge whale was spotted over a deep-sea canyon on the northern margin of the Bay of Biscay by Prof Russell Wynn, a marine scientist and part of a research team aboard the UK vessel, RRS James Cook.
The blue whale is one of the largest creatures ever to have existed on earth and can grow to a length of around 29 metres. These ocean giants were targeted by whale hunters in the past and their populations remain small. As a result, hunting blue whales has been banned since 1966, but blue whale meat occasionally shows up in Japanese markets.
Find out more and listen to blue whale calls here or have a look at our animated life-size blue whale.
Photo © Andrew Sutton
