The whale was first seen in the Northern Territory (NT) river over a week ago, prompting fears it may get stuck in shallow waters or hit a boat. An exclusion zone was immediately introduced at the mouth of the river to a point just under 20 miles upstream "for the welfare of the whale and for the safety of people who may have been considering going to the area by boat," the park posted on. A humpback whale that had mistakenly swum into a crocodile-infested river in an Australian national park has found its way back to sea after several weeks. On Monday, officials said the whale appeared to be in good condition after swimming into the Van Diemen Gulf. According to the park's guidelines to visitors, the crocodiles can stay hidden under water for long periods and can move with great stealth and camouflage. ", Humpback whales live in all the world's major oceans, according to the, Australia's largest national park, Kakadu is dual-listed on the. "The highest tide of the year will take place in a few weeks so there is a window of opportunity for it to be able to head out to sea. Experts believe the humpback mistakenly swam into the river during its annual migration from the tropics, along the west coast of Australia, to Antartica. This whale needs to check Google Maps. “And knowing that these guys haven’t fed for months and months and months, so they’d be pretty hungry and they do the final 5,000-kilometer trip to Antarctica. Given its large size, the humpback had been considered unlikely to be disturbed by crocodiles unless it became stranded. Scientists have recorded the first footage of a great white shark attacking and killing an enormous humpback whale. "The last thing we want is a collision between a boat and whale in waters where crocodiles are prevalent and visibility underwater is zero," Parks Australia had added in a statement. Humpback whales are not the biggest whales — that's the blue whale. Humpback whale breaching shocks father and daughter 03:16. Authorities had banned boats along part of the river to clear a path to the ocean. It is the first known instance of humpback whales in the river in the Kakadu National Park, on the country's northern coast. However, the whale swam through shallow channels at the mouth of the river and back into the Van Diemen Gulf over the weekend. Humpback whale numbers were severely reduced before the 1985 ban on commercial whaling, but the numbers in many population groups have since improved. Today, the biggest threats to humpback … It is home to many animal species, including crocodiles and flatback turtles. The spokeswoman said the other two are thought to have left the area, though rangers cannot be completely certain. Since then, park staff have been closely monitoring one whale, which appears to be stuck. The animals were first spotted on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the park, in Australia's Northern Territory (NT), told CNN in a statement. The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. The whale, one of three that made a wrong turn … It also describes itself as a "living cultural landscape" as its archaeological sites record the skills and way of life of indigenous people over tens of thousands of years. Three whales were first seen in the river, but experts believe only one remains. "There's no way we can lift a 12-16m humpback whale off the sandbar and that's potentially when the crocs would kick in," scientist Carole Palmer told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation last week. Humpback whale, a baleen whale known for its elaborate courtship songs and displays. Most bodies of water within the park are inhabited by saltwater crocodiles, which are ambush predators that have been known to attack and kill humans. Humpback Whale: Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) Humpback whales are distributed globally in marine habitats. "The last thing we want is a collision between a boat and whale in waters where crocodiles are prevalent and visibility underwater is zero. "Kakadu National Park and NT Government scientists will continue to monitor the whale in the coming days. In a rare event, a handful of humpback whales had taken a wrong turn and entered the East Alligator River in the country’s northern territory. 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