Huge blue whale washes ashore in southern Chile

The blue whale washed up on a beach in southern Chile, on August 5. An enormous blue whale, considered the largest animal on Earth, has washed up onto a beach in southern Chile, probably after dying at sea, local authorities said.

Agents of the Chilean national fishing agency confirmed the carcass was that of "a large cetacean of the family of Balaenopteridae.

Environmental groups noted that the area's waters are heavily used by the fishing industry and maritime traffic, and they called for an investigation to determine whether the creature was the victim of a collision.