Sometimes we get walloped with the messiness of life when we least expect it. Take what happened in Tainan, Taiwan. On January 17, 2004, a 66-ton sperm whale died and was beached on the southwestern ...

When whales die, the same process that bloats any dead animal begins—but on a massive scale. Trapped gases from decomposition build up inside their huge bodies, sealed in by thick blubber and pressure ...