Featured Image Credit:VDOS Global
A rare whale species was spotted in Arctic waters with the help of a very popular new technology.
Drones are making a major splash when it comes to monitoring the world’s most elusive creatures. The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) allow researchers to easily approach marine animals without the use of an obtrusive ship. According to Sarah Fortune, the UBC Researcher who has been studying these whales for the past four summers, “When you’re on a boat, you can’t observe the entire body … it’s like the tip of the iceberg.”
The bowhead whale is both Canada’s largest marine mammal and the longest-living marine mammal in the world. Fortune and her team are studying the whales to better understand how climate change might affect them. With the combination of the crystal clear Arctic waters and the real-time aerial footage, the researchers were able to make important observations about the whales’ behavior and foraging patterns. Fortune noticed that the group of bowhead whales “Spent the early morning feeding in deep water and then rested in shallow, coastal waters during the afternoon.” The UBC researcher inferred that the whales may be finding better prey deeper, even though there is also food at the surface. However, she could not be certain and is interested in studying the behavior more in-depth.
Groups of whales are known to travel together, but Fortune noticed that this bowhead group was swimming in a v-shape pattern, almost as if they were riding with the updraft to conserve energy. It was also pointed out the a pair of whales could be seen rubbing up against each other. Contrary to what we would like to believe is a sign of affection, Sarah theorizes that, “Some of the whales also have roughened skin patches, so maybe this is their way to shed that.”
Thanks to about several thousand photos, and the past four summers of research, the team hopes to better estimate the bowhead whale population and identify individuals using their distinct markings.
Read more about UBC’s research efforts from our source.