‘Tailless’ Gray Whale Spotted Swimming off the Coast of Newport Beach; How Did the Mammal Lose Its Flukes, Survive Without It?

A huge gray whale without a tail was spotted migrating alone. A drone captured the incident.

Watch Tailless Gray Whale Migrating

A tailless gray whale was caught by a drone swimming off the coast of Newport Beach. ABC 7 called it a "miracle" gray whale.

The whale made the epic 12,000-mile travel from Alaska to Mexico and back without its tail-fin, which is reportedly a significant body part for the mammal.

Most whales travel at a speed of 4 mph. However, the tailless whale was a little slower at around three mph, probably due to the lack of a tail.

The outlet said it was a miracle that the whale was still swimming without its flukes. The outlet speculated that it probably lost its tail in commercial fishing gear.

According to Journey North, the whales' horizontal tail flukes can measure over three meters (9 feet) across and weigh 180 kilograms (400 pounds). It is made of strong connective tissues and powered by a massive muscle system.

They use their tails in an up-and-down motion for powerful forward propulsion. According to some, the motion is equivalent to a 500-horsepower engine mounted on the whale's rear.

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Why Are Gray Whales Losing Their Tails?

The sighting of the migrating gray whale happened in February. However, it wasn't the first and only case.

In 2015, a gray whale was also spotted migrating up the west coast of the United States without a tail. However, the mammal had seemingly adapted well to losing its limb. It could swim and normally dive as if it didn't lose a significant part of its body, which is very important for those activities, Whales.Org reported.

The outlet speculated that it probably got entangled in a fishing gear that, resulted in the amputation of its tail. The sighting happened days after rescuers attempted to cut fishing lines off another gray whale to save the animal.

Capt Tom White, from a local whale-watching company, Dana Wharf Whale Watching, said the whale was a trooper and fully adapted to his handicap.

The outlets noted that thousands of whales and dolphins were reported to die due to their encounters with nets and lines.

Nat Geo Wild also noted that there are a lot of videos when gray whales' tails surge from the water. However, there are some instances when they are visibly missing.

In 2018, there were three sightings of tailless gray whales migrating along the California coast. The outlet noted that the injuries seemed to be due to entanglement, likely from a fishing gear, which either saws off the tail or cut off its circulation.

Without their tails, migrating long distances becomes more challenging for gray whales. However, they might depend less on their flukes than other species.

Some without tails adjusted by twisting their bodies and gaining momentum to dive down after they surfaced to breathe.

Some fisheries are reportedly already working on preventing future entanglements from saving gray whales from losing their tails.