How did famous whale Chunk die off coast of Maine? Experts may have solved mystery

Whales need to breathe. With these gigantic cetaceous animals living in the sea, we forget they are mammals like us.

However, an update on the death of Chunk, a well-known 10-year-old humpback whale who died off the coast of Maine, reminds us of what happens when a whale’s oxygen is cut off.

After Chunk was found tangled in a net on June 5, only to die later that day, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration performed a necropsy, a whale autopsy.

On June 7, the results were in. Scientists at NOAA said in a statement that they “examined the new injuries related to this entanglement, which included congested lungs consistent with acute drowning.”

Humpback whales can hold their breath underwater for up to an hour, according to Jervis Bay Wild. However, if for some reason a whale can’t take in oxygen for longer than that amount of time, they can drown. They typically live 80 to 90 years, NOAA says.

Chunk’s necropsy findings indicate that the entanglement kept her far enough from the surface of the water for a long enough time that she couldn’t get the air she needed to live.

Chunk first came on scientists’ radar in 2015. That same year, she became entangled in heavy rope and needed to be rescued. The rescue was successful. Chunk sustained some injuries from that day but nothing threatening, and experts kept tabs on her.

On June 5, Chunk wasn’t so lucky. When she was found, she was still alive but faded soon after.

“This whale, in particular, was one that was really, really well known, and really loved. So, just from a public point of view, it’s a tremendously sad event. But it is also one that’s highlighting the unfortunate things that these whales face,” Center for Coastal Studies Director of Humpback Whale Studies Jooke Robbins told WGME.

This story was originally published June 13, 2024 at 11:55 AM with the headline "How did famous whale Chunk die off coast of Maine? Experts may have solved mystery."