So when a dead blue whale washed ashore in Trout River, Newfoundland, last week, the Internet had to know: Would it explode? Helpfully, one expert made us a handy web site: hasthewhaleexplodedyet.com.

Blue whale calves are huge at birth but still vulnerable, and orca attacks on them are rare, high-risk events that require coordinated pod hunting. Mothers defend calves by positioning their massive ...