Humpback Whales Make Surprise Visit to Cornwall, UK

Whales are migrating right now, as well as failing to show up in some of their common landing spots. So they're bound to show up in various spots. But two humpback whales recently made a surprise visit to the Cornwall coast in the United Kingdom, where they aren't commonly seen.

They were a surprise to all; an experienced marine wildlife watcher, Vivan Stratton of the St. Ives National Coastwatch Institution, who has led marine tours and saw these whales, said he'd never seen humpbacks in sixty years, according to an article in Western Morning News.

The whales were quite a lot larger -- at maybe 45 feet long for the male -- than minke whales, which are fairly common along that coast. "Initially we thought they were minke whales but we could see they were humpbacks because of their sheer size," said Stratton in the article.

Minke whales are the smallest of the rorqual family, those that have baleen, a dorsal fin and throat pleats. They are often about 28 feet long or shorter. 

The humpbacks were visible in Cornwall's St. Ives Bay for about two hours before disappearing into deeper water.

A birdwatcher, Brian Mellow, took photos and said in the article, "I have seen killer whales and pilot whales before but seeing humpbacks is a lifelong ambition."

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-Follow Catherine on Twitter @TreesWhales