It is deemed a 'National Geographic Moment.' Boaters captured rare footage of a dead whale exploding in the middle of the ocean. The event saw its rotting organs flow into the surrounding waters.
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'These violent detonations are unique to whales, as the vast majority of decomposing animals can not keep all that built-up gas inside after they've passed away,' the caption on Nature Is Metal reads.
When an animal dies, bacteria inside the carcass produce methane as part of the decomposition process.
If the gas is not released from the body, it gradually builds up until it has no choice but to bust through the animal's carcass.
Methane gas builds up in the animal’s main body cavities, causing it to bloat - a sure sign an explosion is on the horizon.
'Since the build-up of gas will eventually reach capacity and find the path of least resistance for escape, the only way to prevent this is to perforate the whale’s skin before it detonates on its own,' according to Nature Is Metal.