Dead whale found in the Amazon forest, nobody knows why

The young whale was found about 15 metres from the shore.

There's a dead humpback whale in Brazil’s Amazon jungle, and nobody knows why.

The young whale was found about 15 metres from the shore of Araruna Beach along the Marajó Bay in Soure and doesn't appear to have any visible injuries.

Locals say it's rare to see a whale in the region this time of year.

Humpback whales common further south on Brazil’s Bahia coast bewtween August and November, but environmetalists say they're rarely seen thousands of kilometres north, which is where this whale was found.

The calf is estimated to be about 11 metres long.

There are two theories as to how it ended up so far from the water:

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  1. It may have been launched by a powerful wave; or

  2. It died at sea and was carried ashore by humans.

Renata Emin, the project leader of Bicho D’água, the environmental group leading the investigation says the calf may also have become seperated from its mother as they were migrating south.

Officials plan to conduct a necropsy to determine how the whale died.

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