A humpback whale capsized a small fishing boat off the coast of New Hampshire, carrying two frightened sailors.
The large mammal was captured on camera on Tuesday leaping through the waters off the coast of Portsmouth.
The shocking footage shows the animal aiming its snout at the back of the small vessel, causing the two people on board to end up in the water.
You see the boat floating on its side in the water, before it begins to sink and capsize.
The large mammal was captured on camera leaping through the waters off the coast of Portsmouth
Another fragment shows the boat being pulled by another fisherman standing nearby, who captured the entire scene.
It is known that all occupants were unharmed.
It is still unclear when exactly the incident took place. The images appeared on social media on Tuesday afternoon.
After the footage appeared on social media, users responded to the clip.
Someone said, ‘This is ridiculous, whales don’t do something like that for no reason.’
Another added: ‘This is insane to see,’ while others wrote: ‘That boat collapsed so quickly.’
According to WGMEThe humpback whale, believed to be about two years old, was spotted last week on the Maine-New Hampshire border.
This is close to where the whale was filmed off the coast of Portsmouth.
The terrifying footage shows the animal placing its nose on the back of the small vessel, causing the two people on board to fall into the water.
The boat was submerged after the incident, which first appeared on social media on Tuesday afternoon
Another clip shows the boat being pulled by another fisherman nearby, who captured the entire scene
It is not yet clear whether this is the same humpback whale that was captured on camera near Portsmouth harbour on Sunday afternoon.
It is also unclear what caused the boat to capsize due to the giant marine mammal.
Dianna Schulte of the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation told WGME: “We hope the species disappears from the area quickly.
“There’s been a lot of menhaden, a type of small baitfish, in the river lately. So he probably came into the river looking for some food.”
Humpacks grow up to 56 feet long and can weigh up to 40 tons. Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish and they were nearly driven to extinction by whaling in the early 20th century.
Humpback whales are generally considered calm and friendly, but people who try to swim with them risk being hit by the animal’s fluke if they end up in a blind spot.