A humpback whale briefly engulfed a kayaker off the coast of Chile in an incident caught on camera. Experts say it couldn't have swallowed him even if it wanted to.
After being hunted for decades, humpback whales returned to the Pacific Ocean in big numbers. Now, new technology is revealing that underwater heat waves are taking a toll on that recovery.
The juvenile whale was seen swimming in a clockwise circle, making unusual noises and trailing two buoys. A team of wildlife experts had to move fast, but with plenty of patience, to save its life.
Michael Packard says he was trapped in the whale's mouth for 30 to 40 seconds before it tossed him back in the water, bruised but otherwise unharmed. Experts tell NPR such events are extremely rare.
The juvenile whale was ensnarled in more than a 100 feet of small gauge line, making it difficult for the sea creature to swim. But a team of experts cut its flipper and mouth free on Wednesday.
