“ I knew there was a chance I could easily be killed by this whale , ” whale scientist Nan Hauser can be hear saying in a 2021 interview withBBC Earth . Hauser was recollecting an unusual and shocking encounter between herself , a humpback whale whale , and a tiger shark .
While it sounds like the mold of a “ walks into a bar ” joke , her highly up - close - and - personal run - in with the overprotective whale was actually quite scary . While film on location off Rarotonga in the Cook Islands , Hauser had been float towards two humpback whale when one charged at her .
whale , often thought of as gentle giants , are extremely powerful animate being whose quintet are lined with razor - sharp barnacles . As such , being hugged by one is logistically complex if you do n’t wish to be squashed or spiralized . In the case of Hauser , the hulk seemed perdition - crumpled on tucking her under its thoracic fin .
Fearing for her life sentence , thing only got shivery as thehumpback whalehoisted her out of the water on its back and refused to allow her get away . When she in the end did get some blank space , the motivation for the humpback ’s bizarre behaviour became clear .
In the distance , she could see what looked like two heavyweight , one of which was smacking its tail against the water supply . On closer review , she could see that the 2nd heavyweight was move peculiarly , with its pectoral fins tuck in and its tail swishing side to side rather of up and down .
It was at this point Hauser realized she was looking at the bighearted tiger shark she ’d ever seen .
“ I ’ve spent my entire life underwater and I ’ve seen pot of Panthera tigris sharks , ” she explained . “ This was like a truck . This was a Brobdingnagian tiger shark and it was number right for me . ”
It ’s Hauser ’s belief that the whale was trying to get her under its fin to protect her . While we ca n’t yet address Whale – yet – this motivation to save up her lifespan seems to be confirm as its final activity was to get her on its back and ferry her back to the sauceboat .
“ I still to this day ca n’t believe it pass off and being a scientist it ’s even harder , ” she said . “ If someone tell me this story , I would n’t believe them . ”
Megaptera novaeangliae areknown to exhibit altruism , a behavioural trait where you do something for another individual that in no way benefits you . Hauser ’s story is an immaculate lesson as the whale put itself in the firing line to protect a human being .
Quite the hero then , and amazingly Hauser have to be reunite with her rescuer one year and 15 days after the event . She was radio that a heavyweight had swum into the area , and after boating out to see it Hauser recognise its tail fluke had two nick on it , just like the one that saved her life .
“ And then next I know the whale came up next to the side of the boat , " aver Hauser . " He ignored everyone else on the boat and he stared directly at me … I looked at him and I saw a scratch on his head and I just cry ‘ he ’s back I ca n’t believe it he ’s back ! ’ and sure enough there he was .
“ I just scald on my wetskin and slew [ into the ] water and I swam down next to him and he opened his eyes and he just bet at me and preserve prod me … It was like seeing your dog that you have n’t encounter in six month . ” At 27 - 33 long ton , that ’s one hell of a nestle .
Hauser also expressed her hope that she would get to see her cetaceous pal again . " I miss him , " she said . " I intend , who misses a whale ? "
An other version of this article was put out inNovember 2021 .
