People of the small Canadian town of Trout River, Newfoundland, have a big problem: what to do with a giant blue whale carcass that washed up on the beach and that some say threatens to spontaneously combust.

The 80-foot-long whale appeared on the beach in the town of about 600 people a week ago. Since then, the mass of rotting blubber has become bloated with combustible methane gas.

Take the corpse of a member of the largest animal on Earth. Now watch it bloat to up to two times in girth as methane builds up within it.

The odds of it exploding are actually somewhat unlikely, with the more likely scenario of it eventually seeping out. Unless, of course, some smart ass with a knife decides to help things along.

Then again, that would be awesome. And by awesome I mean incredibly funny. Hell, someone might even earn a Darwin Award out of that.

Via NPR.