A minke whale ran aground deep inside the Brazilian jungle recently after apparently getting lost and traveling 994 miles upriver from the Atlantic Ocean.

Said to have weighed 12 tons, the aquatic mammal became trapped on a sandbar on the Amazon River this week, but ultimately was freed thanks to the concerned efforts of local residents and biologists, the BBC said Saturday. The whale quickly disappeared after being freed.

One biologist said the animal likely became separated from a group of other whales and mistakenly began swimming upstream rather than remain in the Atlantic.

While its apparent journey up the Amazon is not unprecedented, the whale's prolonged presence in the fresh water river is unusual, the BBC said.

Meanwhile, authorities in Rio de Janeiro captured a yellow stomach alligator Thursday far from its normal habitat. The endangered reptile, typically found in freshwater marshes and swamps, was captured at a local beach and was being treated for a broken leg.  // Copyright 2007 by United Press International



Publication date: 18 November 2007   

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