The Eir Elaia – Jumping Whale – was last sighted in modern Afghanistan 1240 A.D. By far the biggest of the known whales, the Eir Elaia has a long eel-like body and hair-like growths on parts of its gigantic body. It lives in the deepest part of the oceans but like all mammals it is dependant on the breathing of air. Also, this species has the ability to travel fast across vast masses of land. It cannot survive more than a day or two out of the water, but by wriggling itself powerfully it is able to “jump” enormous distances in a very short time. Traces, or “footprints”, of these giants have been found about everywhere across our globe, but the most recent of these valley-shaped sites is deemed to have been shaped over 800 years old. Exactly why the whales chose to occasionally leave the water remains a mystery. Scientific theories suggest that when stranded the whales began to struggle (jump), but had very little control over which way they went.