When marine biologist Nan Hauser saw a giant 50,000-pound humpback whale coming toward her she knew she was in big trouble.
“I was prepared to lose my life,” she tells National Geographic. “I thought he was going to hit me and break my bones.”
She eventually noticed that the real trouble was much smaller, though still massive and potentially dangerous.
Lurking in the very same waters nearby was a tiger shark. And it seemed as if the whale was trying to protect her from it.
Hauser, who is the president and director of the Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation, was diving in the Cook Islands in the South Pacific to conduct research and work on a nature film when the entire interaction was caught on film.
The video shows the whale approaching her and nudging her with his head and mouth. He also seemed to tuck her under his pectoral fin and then lift her out of the water.
It was after her encounter that she noticed another shadowy figure in the water.
“I knew that was a tiger shark,” she says. “Maybe the shark wasn’t going to attack me, but he [the whale] was trying to save my life.”
Eventually, Hauser was able to swim back over to her boat. The whale followed her and came close to the boat as if to say “hello” and spouted out from his blowhole
“I love you too,” Hauser tells the whale. “I do. I love you.”
Hauser says she has never ever had an experience with a whale like this before and says it’s a testament to their compassionate nature and willingness to help other species.
“I’m a scientist, and if anyone told me this story, I wouldn’t believe it,” she said.
This isn’t the first time humpback whales have been known to show an altruistic nature. A 2016 study in Marine Mammal Science found 115 instances in 62 years where humpback whales can be seen helping out other animals, like other species of whales, seals, or sea lions.
“Interspecific altruism, even if unintentional, could not be ruled out,” the study concluded.
There are always scientists that aim to deny evidence that shows animals with human-like emotional qualities but this video seems to be strong proof of this.
You can see Hauser’s amazing interaction with a humpback whale in the video below.
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