# Exploding whale > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Exploding_whale > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Exploding_whale.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_whale > Source revision: 1354249231 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Phenomenon of a beached whale exploding due to explosives or decomposition}}{{Use American English|date=April 2022}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2019}} [[File:020904whale 210.jpg|right|thumb|1970 whale explosion in [Florence, Oregon](/source/Florence%2C_Oregon), filmed by [KATU](/source/KATU) news, one of the most widely reported cases of the exploding whale phenomenon. This explosion was intentionally caused using dynamite, but whale carcasses may also burst on their own.]] There have been several cases of natural or intentional explosion of whale [carcasses](/source/Carrion). Naturally, this occurs due to a buildup of gas in the [decomposition](/source/decomposition) process. This can occur when a [whale](/source/whale) [strands itself ashore](/source/Cetacean_stranding). Explosives have also been used intentionally by humans to assist in disposing of whale carcasses, ordinarily after towing the carcass out to sea, and as part of a [beach cleaning](/source/beach_cleaning) effort.{{Cite web |last=colliek2 |title=The Case of the Exploding Whale « Extension's Sustainable Tourism Blog |date=February 2022 |url=https://tourism.oregonstate.edu/the-case-of-the-exploding-whale/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527115433/https://tourism.oregonstate.edu/the-case-of-the-exploding-whale/ |archive-date=27 May 2022 |access-date=2022-04-14 |language=en-US}} It was reported as early as 1928, when an attempt to preserve a carcass failed due to faulty chemical usages. A widely reported case of an exploding whale occurred in [Florence, Oregon](/source/Florence%2C_Oregon), in November 1970, when the Oregon Highway Division (now the [Oregon Department of Transportation](/source/Oregon_Department_of_Transportation)) blew up a decaying [sperm whale](/source/sperm_whale) with dynamite to dispose of its rotting carcass. The explosion threw whale flesh up to {{convert|800|ft|m|-1|abbr=off}} away, and its odor lingered for some time. American [humorist](/source/humorist) [Dave Barry](/source/Dave_Barry) wrote about it in his newspaper column in 1990 after viewing television footage of the explosion, and later the same footage from news station [KATU](/source/KATU) circulated on the Internet. It was also parodied in the 2007 American film ''[Reno 911!: Miami](/source/Reno_911!%3A_Miami)'', the 2018 Australian film ''[Swinging Safari](/source/Swinging_Safari_(film))'', and the 2010 ''[The Simpsons](/source/The_Simpsons)'' episode, "[The Squirt and the Whale](/source/The_Squirt_and_the_Whale)". It has since been honored by the [Eugene Emeralds](/source/Eugene_Emeralds) of [Minor League Baseball](/source/Minor_League_Baseball) in 2023.{{Cite web |title=Emeralds Announce "Exploding Whale" Alternate Identity |url=https://www.milb.com/news/emeralds-announce-exploding-whale-alternate-identity |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=MiLB.com |language=en}} An example of a spontaneously bursting whale carcass occurred in Taiwan in January 2004, when the buildup of gas inside a decomposing sperm whale caused it to burst in a crowded urban area while being transported for a post-mortem examination. Other cases, natural and artificial, have also been reported in Canada, South Africa, Iceland, Australia, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. Artificial explosions have also been imposed by governments, and approved by the [International Whaling Commission](/source/International_Whaling_Commission) in emergency situations. However, it has also been criticized for its long-lasting odor. ==United States== ===Florence whale=== {{external media | width = 210px | headerimage = 210px|KATU-TV's broadcast of the explosion, remastered in 2020 |float = right | video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6CLumsir34 ''Exploding Whale 50th Anniversary, Remastered!''], [KATU](/source/KATU) }} On November 9, 1970,{{cite news|last1=Tomlinson|first1=Stuart|title=The man behind Oregon's exploding whale dies at 84|newspaper=[The Oregonian](/source/The_Oregonian)|date=October 31, 2013|pages=A1, A4|orig-year=online date October 30|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2013/10/george_thornton_the_odot_engin.html|access-date=February 28, 2017|archive-date=March 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319224219/http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2013/10/george_thornton_the_odot_engin.html|url-status=live}} a {{convert|45|ft|m|0|adj=mid|-long}} [sperm whale](/source/sperm_whale) [washed ashore](/source/Drift_whale) at [Florence](/source/Florence%2C_Oregon) on the central [Oregon Coast](/source/Oregon_Coast).{{cite web |author=John |first=Finn J.D. |date=2016-08-14 |title=Oregon’s world-famous exploding whale |url=https://offbeatoregon.com/1608bT.exploding-whale.404.html |work=Offbeat Oregon}}Linnman, Paul and Doug Brazil, Chapter 7. Linnman contacted Dr. Bruce Mate, a [marine biologist](/source/marine_biologist) at the [Hatfield Marine Science Center](/source/Hatfield_Marine_Science_Center) in [Newport](/source/Newport%2C_Oregon) who was there that day. Dr. Mate says that it was not a [gray whale](/source/gray_whale), but was in fact a [sperm whale](/source/sperm_whale). The weight of the carcass was estimated at {{convert|8|ST|lb kg}}.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/63143771/road-crews-to-blow-up-whale-near/ |title=Road Crews to Blow Up Whale Near Florence |agency=[AP](/source/Associated_Press) |newspaper=[Statesman Journal](/source/Statesman_Journal) |location=[Salem, Oregon](/source/Salem%2C_Oregon) |page=1 |date=November 12, 1970 |access-date=November 12, 2020 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113052346/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/63143771/road-crews-to-blow-up-whale-near/ |url-status=live }} At the time, Oregon beaches were under the jurisdiction of the state's Highway Division, which, after consulting with the United States Navy, decided to remove the whale using [dynamite](/source/dynamite){{snd}}assuming that the resulting pieces would be small enough for [scavenger animals](/source/scavenger) to consume. George Thornton, the engineer in charge of the operation, told an interviewer that he was not sure how much dynamite would be needed, saying that he had been chosen to remove the whale because his supervisor had gone hunting. A charge of [{{convert|1/2|ST|kg|spell=in}}](/source/Short_ton) of dynamite was selected.{{cite news |author=Paul Linnman |publisher=KATU-TV |others=transcribed by Hackstadt, J.; Hackstadt, S. |url=http://www.theexplodingwhale.com/evidence/resources/transcript/ |title=Annotated transcript of the video |access-date=July 17, 2013 |archive-date=February 17, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060217172655/http://www.theexplodingwhale.com/evidence/resources/transcript/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web | last1=Mikkelson | first1=Barbara | last2=Mikkelson | first2=David P. | date=March 19, 2000 | url=http://www.snopes.com/critters/disposal/whale.htm | work=Critter Country | title=Thar She Blows! | publisher=snopes.com | access-date=July 17, 2013 | archive-date=March 29, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329075007/http://www.snopes.com/critters/disposal/whale.htm | url-status=live }} A military veteran with explosives training who happened to be in the area warned that the planned twenty cases of dynamite was far too much, and that 20 sticks ({{cvt|3.8|kg|lb|order=flip|disp=or}}){{cite web |url=http://www.austinpowder.com/BlastersGuide/docs/pib/Dynamite%20Series.PDF |title=Austin Powder Guide, Dynamite series page 2 |access-date=9 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321201205/http://www.austinpowder.com/BlastersGuide/docs/pib/Dynamite%20Series.PDF |archive-date=21 March 2012 |df=dmy-all }} would have sufficed, but his advice went unheeded. The dynamite was detonated on November 12 at 3:45{{nbsp}}p.m. A cameraman, Doug Brazil, filmed it for a story by news reporter [Paul Linnman](/source/Paul_Linnman) of [KATU](/source/KATU)-TV in [Portland, Oregon](/source/Portland%2C_Oregon). In his voice-over, Linnman joked that "land-lubber newsmen" became "land-{{em|blubber}} newsmen{{nbsp}}[...] for the blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds". The explosion caused large pieces of blubber to land near buildings and in parking lots some distance away from the beach. Only some of the whale was disintegrated; most of it remained on the beach for the Oregon Highway Division workers to clear away. In his report, Linnman also noted that scavenger birds, who it had been hoped would eat the remains of the carcass after the explosion, did not appear as they were possibly scared away by the noise. Days before the blast, a local explosive expert had purchased a new automobile in a "Get a Whale of a Deal" promotion. It was damaged by a chunk of falling [blubber](/source/blubber). Ending his story, Linnman noted that "It might be concluded that, should a whale ever be washed ashore in [Lane County](/source/Lane_County%2C_Oregon) again, those in charge will not only remember what to do, they'll certainly remember what {{em|not}} to do". When 41 sperm whales beached nearby in 1979, state parks officials burned and buried them. {{cite web | title = Son of Blubber | url = http://tafkac.org/animals/exploding.whale/son_of_blubber.html | publisher = Oregon Department of Transportation employee newspaper (transcript) | date = July 1994 | access-date = January 8, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110717092953/http://tafkac.org/animals/exploding.whale/son_of_blubber.html | archive-date= July 17, 2011 }} Later that day, Thornton told the Eugene ''[Register-Guard](/source/The_Register-Guard)'', "It went just exactly right.{{nbsp}}[...] Except the blast funneled a hole in the sand under the whale" and that some of the whale chunks were subsequently blown back toward the onlookers and their cars. {{cite news |work=The Eugene Register-Guard |date=November 13, 1970 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KOdVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6114%2C3133152 |title=When they blow up a whale they really blow it up! |author=Larry Brown }} Thornton was promoted to the [Medford](/source/Medford%2C_Oregon) office several months after the incident, and served in that post until his retirement. When Linnman contacted him in the mid-1990s, the newsman said Thornton felt the operation had been an overall success and had been converted into a public-relations disaster by hostile media reports. {{cite book |author=Paul Linnman |others=photographed by Doug Brazil |title=The Exploding Whale: And Other Remarkable Stories from the Evening News |publisher=West Winds Press |date=2003 |isbn= 978-1-55868-743-1 }} The [Siuslaw Pioneer Museum](/source/Siuslaw_Pioneer_Museum) has bone fragments of the Florence exploding whale, called "Florence's most infamous moment" by local press.{{Cite web |last=Duvernay |first=Adam |title=Fifty years later, Florence embraces the tale of the exploding whale |url=https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2020/11/12/fifty-years-later-florence-oregon-embraces-tale-exploding-whale/6259171002/ |access-date=2023-11-02 |website=Statesman Journal |language=en-US}} Currently, [Oregon State Parks Department](/source/Oregon_Parks_and_Recreation_Department) policy is to bury whale carcasses where they land. If the sand is not deep enough, they are relocated to another beach. {{cite news | url=http://www.kptv.com/news/18886423/detail.html | title=Workers Bury Dead Whale on Oregon Beach | publisher=[KPTV](/source/KPTV) | date=March 9, 2009 | access-date=March 9, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090615155544/http://www.kptv.com/news/18886423/detail.html | archive-date = June 15, 2009 }} ====Renewed interest==== The story was brought to widespread public attention by writer [Dave Barry](/source/Dave_Barry) in his ''[Miami Herald](/source/Miami_Herald)'' column of May 20, 1990, when he reported that he possessed footage of the event. Barry wrote, "… we watch it often, especially at parties." Some time later, the Oregon State Highway division started to receive calls from the media after a shortened version of the article was distributed on [bulletin boards](/source/Bulletin_board_system) under the title "''[The Far Side](/source/The_Far_Side)'' Comes to Life in Oregon". The unattributed copy of Barry's article did not explain that the event had happened approximately 25 years earlier. Barry later said that, on a fairly regular basis, someone would forward him his own column and suggest he write something about the described incident. {{cite book |author=Barry |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Barry |title=[Dave Barry in Cyberspace](/source/Dave_Barry_in_Cyberspace) |publisher=[Ballantine Books](/source/Ballantine_Books) |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-517-59575-6 |location=New York City |pages=164–165 |oclc=34943209}} As a result of these omissions, an article in the ODOT's ''TranScript'' notes that: {{blockquote|"We started getting calls from curious reporters across the country right after the electronic bulletin board story appeared," said Ed Schoaps, public affairs coordinator for the Oregon Department of Transportation. "They thought the whale had washed ashore recently, and were hot on the trail of a governmental blubber flub-up. They were disappointed that the story has twenty-five years of dust on it." Schoaps has fielded calls from reporters and the just plain curious in Oregon, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and [Massachusetts](/source/Massachusetts). ''[The Wall Street Journal](/source/The_Wall_Street_Journal)'' called, and Washington, D.C.–based ''[Governing](/source/Governing_(magazine))'' magazine covered the immortal legend of the beached whale in its June issue. And the phone keeps ringing. "I get regular calls about this story," Schoaps said. His phone has become the blubber hotline for ODOT, he added. "It amazes me that people are still calling about this story after nearly twenty-five years." }} The KATU footage resurfaced later as a video file on several websites, becoming a [viral video](/source/viral_video). {{cite web | first=Steven|last=Hackstadt | title=The Evidence | url=http://theexplodingwhale.com/#evidence | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109035349/http://theexplodingwhale.com/ | archive-date = November 9, 2013 | publisher=TheExplodingWhale.com | access-date=November 17, 2013 }} A 2006 study found that the video had been viewed 350{{nbsp}}million times across various websites.{{cite news | title=Star Wars Kid is top viral video | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6187554.stm | work=[BBC News](/source/BBC_News) | date=November 27, 2006 | access-date=July 17, 2013 | archive-date=March 9, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110309065824/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6187554.stm | url-status=live }} In 2020, residents of Florence voted to name a new recreational area "Exploding Whale Memorial Park" in honor of the incident;{{cite news |last=Pietsch |first=Bryan |date=June 20, 2020 |title='Exploding Whale' Park Memorializes Blubber Blast 50 Years Later |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/20/us/exploding-whale-memorial-park.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 20, 2020 |archive-date=June 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620214802/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/20/us/exploding-whale-memorial-park.html |url-status=live }} it also has a memorial plaque. For the 50th anniversary of the event, KATU pulled the original [16 mm](/source/16_mm_film) footage from the archives and released a remastered edition of the news report in [4K resolution](/source/4K_resolution).{{cite news |title=The Exploding Whale remastered: 50th anniversary of legendary Oregon event |url=https://katu.com/news/local/the-exploding-whale-50th-anniversary-of-legendary-oregon-event |access-date=12 November 2020 |work=KATU |date=12 November 2020 |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113000702/https://katu.com/news/local/the-exploding-whale-50th-anniversary-of-legendary-oregon-event |url-status=live }} Commemorating the anniversary as well, locals were reported to visit the beach and dress as whales. Florence celebrates Exploding Whale Day annually at Exploding Whale Memorial Park. In 2024, the public was invited to build an [altar](/source/altar) for the exploded whale.{{cite news |title= Exploding Whale Day now a full-fledged holiday on the Oregon coast. Here's how to celebrate |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/travel/2024/11/exploding-whale-day-now-a-full-fledged-holiday-on-the-oregon-coast-heres-how-to-celebrate.html |access-date= 7 November 2024 |work=Oregon Live |date= 7 November 2024}} ==Taiwan== Another whale explosion occurred on January 26, 2004, in [Tainan City](/source/Tainan), Taiwan.{{cite book | last=Parfitt |first=Troy | title=Notes from the Other China: Adventures in Asia | url=https://archive.org/details/notesfromotherch00parf_194 | url-access=limited | location=New York | publisher=Algora Publishing | year=2008 | isbn=978-0875865836 | page=[https://archive.org/details/notesfromotherch00parf_194/page/n58 44] }} This time the explosion resulted from the buildup of gas inside a decomposing sperm whale, which caused it to burst. The cause of the phenomenon was initially unknown, since it occurred in the spinal area of the whale, not in its abdomen as might be expected. It was later determined that the whale had most likely been struck by a large shipping vessel, damaging its spine and weakening the area, and leading to its death. The whale died after beaching on the southwestern coast of Taiwan, and it took three large cranes and 50 workers more than 13 hours to shift the whale onto the back of a truck. ''[Taiwan News](/source/Taiwan_News)'' reported that, while the whale was being moved, "a large crowd of more than 600 local Yunlin residents and curiosity seekers, along with vendors selling snack food and hot drinks, braved the cold temperature and chilly wind to watch workmen try to haul away the dead marine leviathan". {{cite news | first=Jason | last=Pan | title=Sperm whale explodes in Tainan City | work=eTaiwan News | date=January 27, 2004 }} Professor Wang Chien-ping had ordered the whale be moved to the Sutsao Wild Life Reservation Area after he had been refused permission to perform a [necropsy](/source/necropsy) at the [National Cheng Kung University](/source/National_Cheng_Kung_University) in Tainan. When it burst, the whale carcass was on the back of a truck near the center of Tainan, ''en route'' from the university laboratory to the preserve. The bursting whale splattered blood and entrails over surrounding shop fronts, bystanders, and cars.{{cite news | title=Whale explodes in Taiwanese city | work=BBC News | date=January 29, 2004 | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3437455.stm | access-date=December 10, 2016 | archive-date=August 22, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822125341/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3437455.stm | url-status=live }} The explosion did not, however, cause injuries or prevent researchers from performing a [necropsy](/source/necropsy) on the animal.{{cite news | title=Taiwanese Whale Explosion ... Literally | work=Weird Asia News | date=May 22, 2009 | url=http://www.weirdasianews.com/2009/05/22/whale-explodes-taiwan-street/ | access-date=March 10, 2017 | archive-date=March 12, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312044553/http://www.weirdasianews.com/2009/05/22/whale-explodes-taiwan-street/ | url-status=live }} Over the course of about a year, Wang completed a bone display from the remains of the whale. The assembled specimen and some preserved organs and tissues have been on display in the Taijiang Cetacean Museum since April 8, 2005.{{cite news | first=Matt | last=Gibson | title=The Tale of the Exploding Whale | work=XPATMATT | date=August 3, 2008 | url=http://xpatmatt.com/the-tale-of-the-exploding-whale/ | access-date=March 10, 2017 | archive-date=March 12, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312052306/http://xpatmatt.com/the-tale-of-the-exploding-whale/ | url-status=live }} ==See also== * [List of individual cetaceans](/source/List_of_individual_cetaceans) * [Globster](/source/Globster) * [Tay Whale](/source/Tay_Whale) * [Exploding animal](/source/Exploding_animal) ==References== {{reflist}} ==Further reading== {{refbegin}} * {{cite book|first=Dave|last=Barry|author-link=Dave Barry|title=Dave Barry Talks Back|year=1991|pages=21–24|location=New York City|publisher=[Three Rivers Press](/source/Three_Rivers_Press)|isbn=978-0-517-58868-0|oclc=23741203}} * {{cite book|first=Paul|last=Jennings|author-link=Paul Jennings (Australian author)|title=Uncanny!: Even More Surprising Stories|year=1995|location=New York City|publisher=[Puffin Books](/source/Puffin_Books)|isbn=978-0-14-037576-3|oclc=33954695|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/uncannyevenmores00jenn}} * {{cite book|first1=Paul|last1=Linnman|first2=Doug|last2=Brazil|author-link1=Paul Linnman|title=The Exploding Whale: And Other Remarkable Stories from the Evening News|year=2003|location=Portland, Oregon|publisher=WestWinds Press|isbn=978-1-55868-743-1|oclc=52948932}} * {{cite book|first=Patrick|last=O'Brian|editor-first=Herbert|editor-last=Herbert|editor-link=Herbert Strang|title=Two's Company ''in'' The Oxford Annual for Boys|year=1937|location=London, England|publisher=[Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press)|pages=5–18}} * {{cite journal|first1=Achim G.|last1=Reisdorf|first2=Roman|last2=Bux|first3=Daniel|last3=Wyler|first4=Mark|last4=Benecke|first5=Christian|last5=Klug|first6=Michael W.|last6=Maisch|first7=Peter|last7=Fornaro|first8=Andreas|last8=Wetzel|title=Float, explode or sink: post-mortem fate of lung-breathing marine vertebrates|journal=Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments|date=2012|volume=92|issue=1 |publisher=Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, 92 (1)|pages=67–81|doi=10.1007/s12549-011-0067-z|bibcode=2012PdPe...92...67R |s2cid=129712910|url=http://doc.rero.ch/record/321320/files/12549_2011_Article_67.pdf|access-date=March 1, 2021|archive-date=March 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305195950/http://doc.rero.ch/record/321320/files/12549_2011_Article_67.pdf|url-status=live}} * {{cite book|first1=Jim|last1=Tour|first2=Mike|last2=Knodel|title=Obliterating Animal Carcasses With Explosives|date=January 1995|location=Missoula, Montana|publisher=[United States Forest Service](/source/United_States_Forest_Service) Technology and Development Program|oclc=42276661}} {{refend}} ==External links== {{Spoken Wikipedia|Exploding whale.ogg|date=April 18, 2005}} {{Oregon Modern History}} Category:Whales Whale Category:Internet memes --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Exploding whale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_whale) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_whale?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.