A ten metre humpback whale has been spotted frolicking off the coast of Gdansk, Poland. It is the first sighting of a such a creature for many years.
"I saw it! This is probably the first whale that swam into our bay in 27 years," Krzysztof Skora, the head of the Marine Centre on the coast of Gdansk bay, exclaimed in an interview with the Reuters News Agency.
The humpback was described by Herman Melville in 'Moby Dick' as the "the most gamesome and light-hearted of all the whales, making more gay foam and white water than any other of them". However, this particular species is not known for making regular trips to Polska.
Humpbacks have a fondness for throwing themselves high into the air, and they belong to the elite group of great beasts that struck fear and awe into the hearts of ancient sailors, who often envisioned the whales as enchanted sea monsters. The song of the humpback is distinctive, and contemporary divers recount that the intensity of these sounds is enough to shake the rib-cage of nearby swimmers.
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