The Virginia Coast Guard has reported a whale that may be as long as 45 feet in the Elizabeth River, warning boaters that the creature is behaving strangely and should not be fed.
The whale sighting was announced in an advisory on Monday in the southern branch of the river, according to the Associated Press. While its species has not been officially identified, it may be a sei whale, Mark Swingle with the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center told the AP and other media.
The whale could be sick or disoriented, Swingle said. The Coast Guard has advised boaters not to feed the whale, which is reportedly swimming without a clear direction.
Sei whales are normally seen in deeper ocean waters at a distance from the shoreline, the AP reported.
The Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team has been keeping an eye on the whale since Thursday, and it has been observed swimming in circles and laps at various points in the river, according to the local News Channel 3.
Officials described the whale as thin and disoriented, the outlet reported. Stranding Response Team members will continue to monitor the whale with the aid of state and federal officials.
Locals can report whale sightings to the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response 24-hour hotline at 385-7575.
New Yorkers have been spotting whales as well under happier circumstances since Manhattan has become a popular spot for humpbacks to feed in the last few years. A recent whale sighting off the Manhattan coastline marked the city's 49th whale report so far for 2014.
The higher number of whales spotted around Manhattan comes as a result of cleaner water in the area that gives the creatures a better feeding ground, and whales will likely keep coming to the city, an expert said.
"We know [the whales] go from southern waters down to the coast of the Dominican Republic during the winter and go up to Maine and Massachusetts in the summer to feed," Paul Siewada of the Gotham Whale research division told ABC News. "We think the whales have found a suitable feeding ground right here in New York."
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