They thought this whale was entangled in fishing gear. It actually suffers from scoliosis.
A whale wildlife officials were told was entangled in fishing gear turned out to be in much worse – and unique – condition.
People on a boat off the eastern Spain coastal city of Valencia, about 200 miles southwest of Barcelona, spotted a whale they believed was entangled in fishing gear, so they alerted the Spanish Civil Guard, Oceanogràfic València, an oceanarium in the city of València, said in a Facebook post.
The Civil Guard sent a ship with members of the oceanarium's rescue team, and when they approached the animal, they discovered the animal was not entangled, but it had a "serious" contortion of its spine.
What happened to the whale?
Researchers believe the whale has a form of scoliosis, but is from an "unknown origin" that altered its natural anatomy.
The whale, estimated to be over 55-feet-long and weigh over 40 tons, began to head out to sea after a few hours of observation, researchers said. However, they believe the whale could soon appear in the same area again since it had difficulty swimming. Because of the whale's condition and location in the ocean, researchers were unable to attach a tracking device to it.
The oceanarium alerted other agencies and recovery centers if the whale appears in the area again.
What kind of whale was it?
The oceanarium said the whale was a fin whale – a type of baleen whale – which is the second-largest whale species on earth behind blue whale, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They can be found in all major oceans.
It is listed as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act and depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, as the major threat to fin whales are vessel strikes.
Can whales get scoliosis?
Unlike humans, whales are not believed to naturally develop scoliosis, according to a March 2021 study published in the journal Nature. There have been reports of whales with scoliosis, but researchers found whales developed the condition from a blunt traumatic injury, like a ship collision.
Last December, Moon, a humpback whale with a broken spine, was spotted in waters near the Hawaiian island of Maui. The whale, which was in "considerable pain," suffered the spinal injury from a vessel strike.
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Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fin whale with scoliosis of 'unknown origin' seen off coast of Spain
