Jerusalem – Scientists Stunned as Grey Whale Sighted off Israel [video]

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    Grey whale off the coast of IsraelJerusalem – appearance of a grey whale off the coast of Israel has stunned scientists, in what was thought to be the first time the giant mammal has been seen outside the Pacific in several hundred years.

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    The whale, which was first sighted off Herzliya in central Israel on Saturday, is believed to have travelled thousands of miles from the north Pacific after losing its way in search of food.

    “It’s an unbelievable event which has been described as one of the most important whale sightings ever,” said Dr Aviad Scheinin, chairman of the Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center which identified the creature.

    A population of grey whales once inhabited the north Atlantic but became extinct in the 17th or 18th centuries and has not been seen there since.

    The remaining colonies live in the western and eastern sectors of the north Pacific.

    “What has amazed the entire marine mammal research community is there haven’t been any grey whales in the Atlantic since the 18th century,” he said. Scheinin said the creature, a mature whale measuring some 12 metres (39 feet) and weighing around 20 tonnes, probably reached the Atlantic through the Northwest Passage, an Arctic sea route that connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and is normally covered with ice.

    “Here you have an animal that is supposed to live in the Pacific and because the ice in the Arctic is melting, it managed to get through this corridor near the Bering Strait,” Scheinin told AFP.

    The population which lives in the northeastern Pacific normally migrates southwards in around October, heading for warmer waters around the Gulf of California in a huge round trip of at least 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometres).
    Grey whale off the coast of Israel
    So when autumn came, this particular grey whale began travelling south, keeping the land mass on the left and heading for the Californian Gulf with the aim of “turning left” into the bay.

    But instead, it reached Gibraltar and turned left into the Mediterranean and ended up off the shores of Israel, Scheinin said.

    “The question now is: are we going to see the re-colonisation of the Atlantic?” he said. “This is very important ecologically because of the change of habitat. It emphasises the climate change that we are going through.”

    So far, the whale seems to be happy enough in the waters off the shores of Israel, he said.

    “It is pretty thin, which indicates the trip was quite harsh, but we think it can survive here,” he said. “Grey whales are very generalist in what they feed on.”

    Now experts are mulling the possibility of tracking the whale by satellite — a costly operation that would need outside funding and expertise, Scheinin said.

    “It’s quite a big operation to do this. If it stays around here for the next month, it’s worth having someone come in and do this professionally,” he said.

    “It will be interesting to see where it goes and to follow it.”


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    42 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Livyasan Shel Moshiach

    mayim
    mayim
    13 years ago

    livyoson? i’m getting hungry
    Halevai

    Dovid
    Dovid
    13 years ago

    Maybe this is the livyoson returning

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    When is the shor habor coming?!
    (thanks. I had to be first!)

    Man Made Climate Change is PURE APIKORSES!!
    Man Made Climate Change is PURE APIKORSES!!
    13 years ago

    Arctic melting and thats why it made it to the Mediterranean?! What Bull! These wackos will find a way to spout (sorry, mr whale) their trash any way they can.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    I agree moshiac is on his way it will be any day

    man who wants to swim to Eretz Yisrael
    man who wants to swim to Eretz Yisrael
    13 years ago

    Lucky whale! I wish i could swim to the Holy land too!

    Paskunyak
    Paskunyak
    13 years ago

    Seeing a Grey Whale makes me blubber.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    There MUST be a Midrash on this somewhere.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    it doesn’t need to go to the arctic, it can get through the Magellan Straits in S America.
    Glabal warming should send fish more NORTH not south!

    gps
    gps
    13 years ago

    The whale obviously has no sense of direction

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    quote from article “”The question now is: are we going to see the re-colonisation of the Atlantic?” he said. “This is very important ecologically because of the change of habitat. It emphasises the climate change that we are going through.””

    Umm- how is ONE gray whale going to re-colonize the Atlantic. Last I counted, it took 2!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    it can not be the livyoson because the whale is not a kosher fish it does not have scales we might be up to another story of yona in the fish (think about it he might spit out someone) or another yosef moker shabus

    Yosef
    Yosef
    13 years ago

    Nothing new. A whale came to Israel’s shore during the time of Tenaach. That is how the whole idea of ‘Liviyoson’ started. The Liviyoson is mentioned in Sefer Yeshaya and in Tehillem.
    But in those times they did not know that there are hundreds of these creatures swimming around in other oceans, so they were very amazed at this huge creature.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Did it spit out any prophets?

    Reuven
    Reuven
    13 years ago

    To #19

    In the time of Tenaach they didn’t know of any other whales, because they had no access to the Pacific Ocean, that’s why they were under the impression that there is only one, and they called it Liviyoson.
    The Gemoroh even says that Hkb”h sets aside a time in the day to play with this playful big fish.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    (reply to #19 ) glad we have someone here, that can argue with chazal

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    You all missed the point. The most important thing for this typical Israeli, is he made the shot for television!

    Chaim
    Chaim
    13 years ago

    On a side note note, the whale is not a fish, it is a mammal. The levaithan is a fish not a mammal, so our holy whale can not be the promised fish.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    The mere fact that everything is changing is the Rotzon of Hashem. YOu can find nature’s proofs everywhere, ie the big bang. Nothing happens without the ok from Hashem