This story has certainly made a splash in the underwater community, with good reason.
A beluga whale saved a drowning diver by hoisting her to the surface, carrying her leg in its mouth.
Terrified Yang Yun thought she was going to die when her legs were paralysed by crippling cramps in arctic temperatures.
She had been taking part in a free diving contest WITHOUT any breathing equipment.
Competitors had to sink to the bottom of an aquarium's 20ft arctic pool and stay there for as long as possible amid the beluga whales at Polar Land in Harbin, north east China.
But when Yun, 26, tried to head to the surface she struggled to move her legs.Lucky Yun said: "I began to choke and sank even lower and I thought that was it for me - I was dead. Until I felt this incredible force under me driving me to the surface."
Beluga whale Mila had spotted her difficulties and using her sensitive dolphin-like nose guided Yun safely to the surface.
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A heart-warming story, to be sure. But surprising? Our friend David Ulloa had an interesting question for readers when he posted the story via Facebook:
This story is incredible - yes, but is it that remarkable to find that animals are intelligent, perceptive and look for opportunities to help others?
to me no I just saw a show on the discovery channel about humbolt squids helping and interacting with the reseacher, he said one was toying with the lock on the cage as if trying to open it and others were swimming to him and gently caressing him. Simply amazing. We could learn alot from animals and mammels alike. A great story.
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