A purportedly dead sperm whale exploded after it was pierced by a local on the Faroe Islands, its innards blasting forth as if spewed from a sideways volcano. And it was all captured on video.
The marine biologist in the clip was reportedly tasked with cutting the carcass up to avoid further health hazard but hit a gas pocket through the whale's blubber.
Combustion of a decomposing leviathan has been reported before. Putrefying fish consumed previously create a buildup of gas, biologist Adam Ruben explained on Science Channel.
The cutting of a dead whale was handled more delicately in this instance on Science Channel. But it still was stinky going, with the creature emitting methane, hydrogen sulphide and ammonia, nuclear chemist Alistair Linstell said.
According to National Geographic, sperm whales are bigger than a school bus and eat about a ton of fish and squid a day. They are listed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species. Sperm whales used to be threatened by "extensive commercial whaling," but today threats include entanglement in fishing nets, collisions with ships and ingestion of marine debris.
Warning: Some viewers might find the following video disturbing.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this posted stated that a fisherman cut open the whale carcass. It was a marine biologist named Bjarni Mikkelsen.