The tail of a stranded whale is pictured on the beach of De Haan, Belgium on October 25, 2018. (Photo by Francois Lenoi/Reuters)

People inspect a dead whale on the coast of Baracoa, Artemisa province, Cuba, Thursday, October 3, 2024. (Photo by Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)

A new book published by the UK Natural History Museum showcases some of the most memorable underwater photographs taken over the last few decades in its annual wildlife photographer of the year competition. Here: Giant gathering by Tony Wu. “The first indication that something extraordinary was going on were the blows, huge numbers of them – the exhalations of huge numbers of whales. Entering the water, the photographer witnessed an extraordinary scene”. (Photo by Tony Wu/Unforgettable Underwater Photography/NHM)

Santa Claus poses with a Beluga Whale at SeaWorld San Diego on December 15, 2011 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Mike Aguilera/SeaWorld San Diego via Getty Images)

“Centuries ago, Inuit hunted the bowhead whale. At that time, whale hunting undoubtedly was part of a complex and very important ritual, if only because of the size of the catch. The position that the ancestors of today's Inuit occupied in the living world involved a relationship with the spirit that inhabited each animal but also their species”. (Photo by Robert Frechette/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

In this Wednesday, November 15, 2017 photo, a woman poses for a selfie with the carcass of a humpback whale on Ipanema beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Biologist Rafael Carvalho said the whale appears to have been dead for a few days. Authorities were urging beachgoers who had flocked to Ipanema on a national holiday to stay away from the animal. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo)

One of three Sperm Whales, which were found washed ashore near Skegness over the weekend, lays on a beach on January 25, 2016 in Skegness, England. The whales are thought to have been from the same pod as another animal that was found on Hunstanton beach in Norfolk on Friday. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Rescuers attempt attempt to push stranded whales back into the ocean at Ujong Kareng beach in Aceh province, Indonesia, Monday, November 13, 2017. An official said a small pod of whales was stranded at the beach and attracted hundreds of onlookers who posed for pictures with them. (Photo by AP Photo/Zulkarnaini)