Image of whale found swimming without tail flukes goes viral
On Monday, Mike Morrissey, a ranger with New Zealand's Department of Conservation received a rather unusual report.
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Someone had spotted a whale with no tail flukes swimming off the coast of South Island.
Morrissey went to investigate and also caught a glimpse of the mostly tailless animal.
See photos tailless whales:
According to him, the 2 or 3-year-old sea dweller appears to be doing just fine without the fin-like attachments.
Said Morrissey, "It was swimming well and breaching, diving and rolling, as humpback whales typically do."
He also noted the area where the flukes should have been attached seemed as if it had healed, suggesting the loss happened some time ago.
It's unknown what the cause of the loss was, but the animal getting caught up in ropes or fishermen's nets is a plausible scenario.
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