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| Exploding Whales, More Of A Hazard Than You Think. |
...... well as we have also discussed, nature sometimes bites back.
In a small town called Trout River on Canada's Newfoundland coast, a
dead Blue Whale has washed up .... and rotted, and rotted, and rotted. A
Blue Whale's body can hold a very very large amount of methane as its
body bloats. Obviously at some point the body will rupture open, either
as long split, or what they all fear, in an almighty explosion of
blubber that will coat the small hamlet of just 600 souls.
It isn't just the fear of it blowing up that worries the inhabitants, as
in any event it will soon stink like only 82 feet (25m) of rotting
whale meat can ..... regardless of whether it violently explodes or not.
And in case you think this is a fanciful thought, last year a large
sperm whale carcass washed up on the Faroe Islands, and it exploded as
a biologist attempted to dissect it.
This story reminds me of an episode of The HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy where a sperm whale is unexpectedly hauled into existence 5 miles above the planet of Magrathea. Its last thoughts were "what's this big round thing that's getting bigger and bigger, let's call it the 'ground', I wonder if it will be friends with me?" SPLAT !
ReplyDeleteAll knowledge ultimately comes down to the 'The HitchHikers Guide' ....
DeleteThough it cannot hope to be useful or informative on all matters, it does make the reassuring claim that where it is inaccurate, it is at least definitively inaccurate. In cases of major discrepancy it was always reality that's got it wrong.
DeleteHave your towel ready for the 25th May.
Well, I'll need the towel to mop up the spillage from the 3 pints I will need to drink up before the Vogons arrive ...
Delete... just one of the many uses of the Hitch-Hikers indespensable companion, but the Vogons are not expected on Towel Day.
DeleteIndeed .... well I'll still have the Beer.
Delete