In the world of viral phenomena, few videos capture the blend of science, drama, and the utterly unexpected like the one of the whale that exploded in the Faroe Islands. What began as a simple scientific procedure to safely open the carcass of a stranded and decomposing sperm whale, turned into a televised spectacle and a global YouTube sensation with over 22 million views. This post reveals the facts behind the blast: from the identity of the brave marine biologist who made the incision, to the scientific explanation of why the build-up of methane gas turned this ocean giant into a biological bomb.
22,064,402 views Nov 30, 2013
The Incident: The viral video captures the explosion of a beached sperm whale that was stranded between two islands in the Faroe Islands, an archipelago located between Norway and Iceland.
Cause of the Explosion: The burst was caused by the accumulation of methane gas inside the animal’s body. This gas is a natural byproduct of the decomposition process occurring in the internal organs.
The Protagonist: The man in the video is marine biologist Bjarne Mikkelsen, who was sent to cut open the carcass after it had been stranded on the beach for two days.
The Trigger: The explosion occurred precisely when Mikkelsen made the first incisions into the whale’s side, suddenly releasing the built-up internal pressure.
The Viral Result: The clip, which was originally broadcast on Faroese television, quickly spread across the Internet, accumulating over 22 million views on YouTube from the On Demand News channel version alone.
The Whale’s Fate: It was reported that, despite the incident, a local museum would collect the whale’s skeleton to put it on display.