A huge sperm whale spotted off Whitstable harbour this morning is now in the Swale.

Experts fear the creature - thought to be about 50ft long - could become trapped.

Video shows the whale breaking the water's surface and spraying water in the air. Credit: Elliott Howes

The creature was first seen swimming and "spraying water in the air" near Whitstable harbour this morning.

It was reported to the Coastguard by staff at The Bubble Cafe, on Whitstable seafront.

Assistant manager Charlotte Bambridge said: "We look right out to sea, and he or she was quite close - sort of stuck in one position for quite a while.

"Then he moved slowly towards the harbour for about an hour, and he was spraying water in the air.

"Then he stopped right where the harbour looks out, about 200m in front, and stayed there for about 15 to 20 minutes.

"We were worried he might be stuck so we called the Coastguard, but then the tide came in and he drifted off towards the Isle of Sheppey."

The marine mammal has since been spotted in shallow waters in the Swale.

The Coastguard promptly contacted the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) - a marine animal rescue organisation based in the UK, which sent a volunteer to the scene.

Experts initially believed it to be a minke whale, but on inspection of photographs taken by eyewitnesses have concluded it is a sperm whale.

BDMLR spokesman Julia Cable voiced concerns for the creature, saying: "Sperm whales are extremely large and if they become stranded, there is very little that we can do to help them. They get up to about 20m.

"They are very much a deep water species, and they will usually only come into our waters if there's a problem.

"It's the wrong location for them.

"If sperm whales do end up in our waters, they're usually in poor health and sadly they're too big to actually move.

"It's still in the same area - it was last reported to us just off Shellness, at the mouth of the Swale. It will either move off into deeper water, or it will strand here.

"We don't get many whales around there, although the Thames seems to be a hotspot at the moment for whales."

Sperm whales are easily recognized by their massive heads and prominent rounded foreheads, according to National Geographic.

They have the largest brain of any creature known to have lived on Earth.

Do you have pictures or video footage of the whale? Email whitstablegazette@thekmgroup.co.uk for the chance to see them featured online and in the newspaper.

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.

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