WATCH: two whales filmed just outside entry to Marseille port
Coast guard patrolled area to keep boats away
The fin whale is the second largest animal in the world (stock image for illustrative purposes)
Leonardo Gonzalez / Shutterstock
Two whales were spotted near the entry to the port of Marseille, to the delight of onlookers, as the coast guard patrolled the waters to keep boats away from the animals.
The whales were filmed near the Plage des Catalans on Monday morning (October 9).
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The animals were likely fin whales - the second largest animal in the world - which can grow up to 26m in length and up to 114 tonnes in weight. Fin whales feed on small schooling fish, squid, and crustaceans. They can live for up to 140 years.
There are estimated to be 100,000 in the world. It is considered a threatened species.
Marseille’s gendarmerie maritime, or coast guard, is on alert to prevent boats from approaching the animals, according to BFMTV. However, it is not known if the animals remained in the area after October 9.
The presence of fin whales is not unusual in the Mediterranean, where there is a resident population and they are frequently observed in central and western parts of the sea, mainly north and east of the Balearic Islands.
This time it’s not a sardine!
Initial reports of whales in Marseille port may have raised an eyebrow in some quarters of France.
The people of Marseille are so well known for their tendency to exaggerate that there is a common French expression ‘C'est la sardine qui a bouché le port de Marseille’, or ‘it’s a sardine which has blocked the port of Marseille’.
Read more: C'est la sardine qui a bouché le port de Marseille
This time, however, the port remained open despite the presence of the two whales.
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