WATCH: Ginormous carcass of 42-foot blue whale found off Pakistan coast

A huge carcass of an estimated 42-foot blue whale is drifting towards the coastal town of Jiwani in Balochistan, which marine biologists on Friday feared could pose a serious health threat to the local population. Is.

Coastal authorities have warned local residents not to go near the ballooning carcass of one of the largest animals on the planet, the blue whale, as it is in the stage of decomposition and may explode.

The whales – dead for about eight to 10 days – can explode any time soon, releasing foul odors and rotting entrails into the atmosphere.

Marine biologists from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pakistan were the first to respond to calls from local authorities. In their initial examination, they measured the whale and collected blood and tissue samples to run various tests to determine its species and possible cause of death.

Officials said the body drifted off the coast of Jiwani, a commercial port along the Gulf of Oman in Gwadar district of Balochistan province, and could wash ashore within hours.

The blue whale is the largest animal ever known and has long fascinated biologists. Oddly enough, despite their large size, they feed on small prey.

As filter feeders, they take in large amounts of water in their mouths and scoop out prey using baleen plates made of keratin, including shrimp-like krill and other zooplankton, similar to those found in fingernails. Is.

While feeding on divers, whales show extremely low heart rates, typically four to eight beats per minute and less than two.

After surfacing to breathe after the dive, the whale’s heart rate was 25 to 37 beats per minute.

Found in all the world’s oceans, blue whales are listed as endangered thanks to 20th century whaling that nearly drove them to extinction. There are about 10,000 worldwide. They are about 98 feet (30 meters) long and reach 180 tons.

Blue whales face threats at sea from collisions with ships to human noise, and according to experts, these dense patches of prey for the knife-edge animal can keep large and ultimately kill. are important for reproduction.