The Red-Headed Whale. Why Would the Head be Red?

In the waters of Iceland, the natives have their own word for a particular brand of cetaceans--"Illhveli", literally "evil whales". And the bloodthirstiest of them all is Raudkembingur, Icelandic for either "red comb" or "red crest".

Now, the outlandishness of some mythological animals is so minimal that in an alternate Earth where such creatures are real, their existence can be justified biologically, physiologically, anatomically and even evolutionarily. (For example, the "eagle-talons" of an enfield can be explained simply by some propaganda artist looking at an ordinary canid with raccoon-like front paws.)

Even so, a predatory toothed whale as big as a sperm whale with a bright red head is a bit odd and not so straightforward to justify. Why would such an apex predator need a red head?

posted almost 5 years ago

JohnWDailey‭

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