Philadelphia Weirdness

The Tale of a Whale

The Delaware River may not be a hot-bed of monster activity, but in May of 2005 the stretch of freshwater did harbor an unusual visitor. Imagine the shock on the faces of Philly residents as they stood agog and watched a great, white creature emerge from the depths, break the surface and then sink into the murkiness. This was no unknown leviathan, but something almost as intriguing: a beluga whale.

The twelve-foot long mammal, a resident of arctic waters, had somehow been swept off course and swam directly past Philadelphia, attracting photographers and on-lookers in their droves. The main concern for the creature, which was first spotted in Trenton, New Jersey, was the fact it was swimming in fresh water.

Although such beasts, whose name in Russian translates as "white," are not endangered, for such a whale to be seen in the Delaware was indeed a rare event, although it did echo the 1995 incident which involved a right whale—which was amusingly named Waldo the Wrong-Way Right Whale by Philly residents—after it ended up being beached at Pennsauken, New Jersey. The right whale, which can reach up to fifty feet in length, is the most endangered of the large whales, but this specimen was seen heading towards Canada after its beaching, suggesting a healthy future.

The beluga whale may have gone wayward after following herring during feeding and become lost in the river. Such whales feed in clusters, but spread once near food. The Delaware River has been known for its large carp and huge catfish, but such fish would be no match for this whale, which can reach up to eighteen feet, dive to more than nine hundred feet, and is known as the "sea canary" for the peculiar squeaks, whistles and clicks it emits, which have been audible through the hulls of boats.

Image Credit: Flickr user Allie_Caulfield

Sources:
MSNBC.com
The NY Times