London whale dies

January 21, 2006

A Northern Bottlenose whale died at approximately 19:00 GMT in London today despite rescue efforts. The whale had previously found its way up the River Thames and into the central portion of the British capital.

Despite whales' ability to breathe out of water, their skeletons are not designed to hold their own massive body weights, and so whales cannot spend long periods of time out of water.

The death of the whale saved the rescue team from having to decide whether it was advisable to release the whale in such a weak condition. A humane killing had been considered.

The whale managed to gather two days worth of media attention, with Londoners and people all over the world captivated by the unusual story.