In January 2004, a giant sperm whale floated up off the coast of Tainan City, Taiwan.

In January 2004, a giant sperm whale floated up off the coast of Tainan City, Taiwan. As the largest toothed whale in existence, the sperm whale is also the largest toothed hunter. Its square head accounts for one-third of the total body length. It is estimated that the sperm whale was about 17 meters long and weighed nearly 60 tons. And it was also the largest cetacean found in Taiwan at that time. For the purpose of anatomical research, the relevant units decided to transfer it to the designated location. But it took 13 hours just to move it to the big truck. Not only the flatbed truck was used, but also 3 cranes and more than 50 staff members were mobilized.

Afraid of affecting the public, the time for transporting the corpse was chosen in the early hours of the morning. But there are still many citizens who come to watch the place where they pass by. They want to catch a glimpse of the giant beasts in the sea.

When the big truck was transported to the street in the downtown area of Ximen Road, there was a loud noise suddenly. Like a bomb exploding, the intestines, fat, and flesh of the whale's corpse flew everywhere. Pedestrians on the street were frightened and panicked, covered their noses and fled.

The surrounding vehicles and shops were dyed red, more bloody than the scene of the murder. At the same time, the disgusting stench of corpses filled the air, like a foul-smelling "rain of blood". Fortunately, no one was injured by the explosion. But I'm afraid it also caused a psychological shadow on the people at the scene, as well as a stench that was difficult to get rid of for several months. Afterward, the people recalled and kept saying: "It's disgusting! The whole road is full of blood and internal organs! And it stinks!"

The worldwide sensation caused by the whale explosion incident drew the attention of scientists from all over the world. The question on everyone's mind was why do stranded whales explode? In the past, people believed that whales exploded due to consuming inappropriate food. However, modern scientific research has found that it is related to the changes that occur in the whale carcass after its death.

After a whale dies, the internal tissues and organs begin to decay, causing the bacteria inside to spread rapidly. This leads to the rapid decomposition of proteins, resulting in the production of more gases such as methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide. These gases cause the carcass to constantly swell, similar to the phenomenon observed in forensic medicine when a corpse undergoes severe decomposition. The entire body becomes swollen and unrecognizable. For instance, when the head of a whale fills with methane, it expands like a round balloon.