A Rare Humpback Whale Has Been Spotted in New York City’s Hudson River

From Prevention

• A humpback whale, which was first spotted on Dec. 7, has been swimming in New York City’s Hudson River this week.

• Experts worry that the whale could be in danger of getting lost or encountering boats, but it appears to be healthy.
  

• The last whale sighting in the Hudson was just over four years ago.
  

New York City’s newest resident is a pescatarian, loves to swim, and weighs 30 metric tons. A humpback whale has been hanging out in the Hudson River this week, a rare visitor that feels about right for the last weeks of an unusual year.

The whale was first spotted on Monday afternoon, when passersby in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood noticed an odd shape swimming in the river. The whale surfaced repeatedly, seemingly showing off for its audience.

Sightings continued Tuesday, including near Battery Park in the Financial District. The whale even surfaced near the Statue of Liberty at one point, providing a once-in-a-lifetime photo op. Twitter user @AndresJaviarNYC caught the whole thing on video:

Humpbacks don’t usually call the Hudson home—in fact, the most recent sighting was in November 2016, when a whale took up residence in the river for about a week. Whales have been making a comeback in New York City in recent years, spurred by cleaner waters and abundant fish, but it’s still rare for them to venture as far as the Hudson River.

“If a whale entered the harbor and it wasn’t eating, we might be concerned that there might be something wrong with it,” Sarah Ryan Hudson, a citizen scientist with the nonprofit Gotham Whale, told NBC New York. “But since it’s eating, we’re not as concerned.”

The whale most likely followed schools of fish into the river, which separates New York and New Jersey. Experts have expressed concern that the whale could encounter ships or even become lost on its way back to the ocean, but it’s at least safe for now.

Hey, maybe this is a sign that things are looking up in 2021—even if they remain just as weird.

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