This video will give you goosebumps: the largest animal on the planet gracefully steaming straight toward a whale-watching boat.<\/p>\n
The “incredibly rare” sight was captured by Cape Ann Whale Watch off the coast of Massachusetts, as ABC News<\/a> and MassLive<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n It brought a veteran conservationist to their knees.<\/p>\n “Our naturalist shed tears and could barely speak,” the company said in a Facebook post<\/a>. “Interns too had tears and were in total awe.”<\/p>\n The Gloucester-based Cape Ann Whale Watch said<\/a> it was thought to be the first time in over two decades a blue whales had been spotted in the region.<\/p>\n In updates over the next few days, it posted photos<\/a> and stated<\/a> that the female whale is known to visit the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada in late fall.<\/p>\n Watch now: Local hero single-handedly repopulates endangered butterfly species<\/a><\/p>\n Similar experiences with the Bornean clouded leopard, giant anteater in Brazil, and wolverine in Oregon have shocked experts and nature lovers alike. They also offer hope that Mother Nature, with a helping hand, can bounce back from the brink.<\/p>\n Whales, and especially blue whales, spark a special kind of optimism. The endangered species can grow to 110 feet and live 90 years<\/a>, though those in the North Atlantic Ocean top out around 90 feet.<\/p>\n They are threatened by vessel strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and ocean noise<\/a>. Commercial whaling previously decimated blue whale and other populations of the enormous mammals.<\/p>\n One of the most fascinating things about the creatures is their behavior, particularly the sounds they make.<\/p>\n “It is thought that in the right oceanographic conditions, sounds emitted by blue whales can be heard by other whales up to 1,000 miles away,” according to NOAA Fisheries<\/a>. “Scientists think they use these vocalizations to communicate and \u2014 along with their excellent hearing \u2014 perhaps to sonar-navigate the dark ocean depths.”<\/p>\n We safeguard these amazing animals for future generations via laws such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. Reducing your reliance on sources of dirty energy<\/a> and cutting plastic consumption<\/a> can help by decreasing the production of pollution tied to rising global temperatures, which threaten species, habitats, and environments around the world.<\/p>\n “It is so exciting to be part of something LARGER than oneself and that this one whale is creating a momentum of curiosity for the natural world,” Cape Ann Whale Watch said<\/a>.<\/p>\n