| Porthole 19 May 21

A gray whale, part of a species once thought to no longer occur in the Atlantic Ocean, has shown up in the Mediterranean – but is on no holiday.

Some researchers have speculated receding Arctic sea ice confused the whale during its annual Pacific migration, with researchers concerned about the whale’s size.

“Underwater images confirm that he is extremely thin,” said Maddalena Jahoda from the Tethys Research Institute in Italy.

“This raises a lot of concern for his fate.”

Gray whales were thought to have been extinct in the Atlantic since the early 18th century because of overhunting, having once been prized for their oil.

There have been only a couple of other sightings of gray whales on the other side of the Americas in recent years, such as a spotting near Israel in 2010.