The adorable video of a Beluga whale which was spotted playing fetch with a man on boat near the waters of Arctic Pole could actually be the Russian spy, ‘Hvaldimir.’ When the video went viral, most of the social media users were speculating if it is the same whale that had appeared earlier this year. This is what a Twitter thread of a scientist is claiming, and it seems that he could be correct. Science writer and Twitter user, Ferris Jabr have shared some additional context and background, arguing the beluga whale is “like Hvaldimir,” a once captive whale who may have escaped a Russian military program.

The footage, first shared on November 7 on Twitter, shows South African rugby players fetch with a beluga whale. The clip was quick to capture netizens’ hearts and also raised questions about the mammal and its nature. It has been viewed, more than 19 million times and reached every corner across social media.

Here's the Viral Video:

With the video going viral, Twitterati was speculating if it was Hvaldimir. And it appears that the assumption could actually be valid. At least, that is how Ferris Jabr on Twitter has explained.

Beluga Whale Could Be Hvaldimir:

The science writer even explained the nature of Belugas and how they are not familiar with rugby or even any ball, for that matter. He further noted that the “provenance of the video remains unclear,” but he is looking for more information before confirming anything. Russian ‘Spy' Beluga Whale Hvaldimir & Seagull Spotted Playing Together in Norwegian Harbour. 

Hvaldimir:

Hvaldimir Returning iPhone to Woman:

More Information Awaited!

First sighted in April, 2019, the white beluga whale had a harness that marked “Equipment of St. Petersburg” which raised speculations that the mammal may have been trained to be a Russian spy.

First Footage of Hvaldimir: 

Hvaldimir has appeared in various viral videos and news reports. He was captured, repeatedly approaching boats, at times pulling a diver’s knife from its sheath and even returning an iPhone to a woman who dropped it in the water. All those videos have gone viral too. We don’t know if the Beluga whale is Hvaldimir, and let Ferris Jabr and other scientists find out. But for now, we know that we adore the mammal and Hvaldimir’s helpful nature.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 10, 2019 12:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).