Story of the week: Humpback whale spotted in UK

Sorry that I've been lacking in the post department recently! I've been pretty busy with all the Halloween festivities and Uni but here is last weeks story of the week...better late than never! 

Last week, for possibly the first time ever, a Humpback Whale was spotted off of the coast of the UK. The 10-12m Whale was spotted off of the coast of Great Yarmouth and was only around 600m from shore! From there it moved to Winterton-on-sea where it stayed and fed in front of onlookers for about 2 hours.
Today, what appears to be the same whale has been spotted AGAIN, this time off the coast of Suffolk!
It was spotted about 1.5 miles offshore where it stayed and fed off fish for about an hour before swimming north. 

This is thought to be the first ever recorded sighting of this species in this area of the UK, says Carl Chapman, Norfolk’s cetacean recorder and coordinator for the national Sea Watch Foundation. He has examined records dating back to the 1700's and has found no recorded sighting of this species in the UK. 

These gigantic creatures are easily identified by the size of their flippers - reaching up to a third of their body size - and by the hump on their back. They can grow up to 50ft in length and can weigh as much as 40 tonnes!

Photo credit: BBC News

• Humpback whales hunt cooperatively using the 'bubble net' strategy where several whales circle underwater emitting a stream of bubbles, which trap fish within an air ring. The whales can then gorge on the contents of their 'net'.
• The whales are renowned for their acrobatic aerial breaching and complex songs performed by males during courtship

Source: BBC Nature