Exploding Whales: Keep Your Distance!

(Artwork by Roland Tamayo.)

I haven't written a really gross post in quite some time. And since it's Friday evening, I figure you all need a little shock to your systems after a long week of classes and homework.

So here's the question of the day . . . What do you do with an eight-ton whale carcass that's washed ashore on your local beach? It's too heavy to move, too big to bury. Perhaps a little T-N-T might do the trick?

That was the conclusion reached by authorities in Florence, Oregon in 1970. Suffice it to say, their "operation" did not go as planned. (Ever wonder what happens to a car when hit by a giant piece of blubber? Watch the video below to find out!)




A far more disgusting whale explosion took place in 2004. A 55-foot whale carcass spontaneously combusted while being transported through the streets of Tainan City, Taiwan. Shopfronts and innocent bystanders were splattered with several tons of whale guts and blood. (I remember seeing news reports at the time. It was a truly disgusting sight.)

Read more about exploding whales and see at least one really nasty picture here.