Whales

Is Naval Sonar Driving Whales To Suicide?

Featured Image Credit: Deb Price
By: Sarah Sharkey

Although scientists hypothesized that some whales would beach themselves to die after long exposure to naval sonar, the true reason behind the death was always a mystery. The whales had to endure long noises for extended periods of time, but why was it worth dying over?

Recent research has shown why these whales are beaching themselves after prolonged sonar exposure.

Apparently, the whales get decompression sickness and die. It is shocking to think that a whale could get decompression sickness like a human diver. However, scientists believe that the sonar is causing the whales to panic and return to the surface too quickly.

Imagine if you were hunting in the dark depths of the ocean when suddenly a sonar alarm sounds. Of course, your natural reaction is to shoot to the surface immediately. On the way up, whales are unable to decompress appropriately because they are moving too fast.

The sickness is extremely painful and usually end in death, so the mass strandings seem more understandable now.

Atypical mass strandings were first recorded in the 1950s. Many of these mass suicides were in close proximity to naval sonar activity. Some species seem more susceptible to the stranding than others but the presence of sonar could be harmful to all whales.

Learn more from our source.

Whales

Third North Atlantic Right Whale Calf Born This Year!

Featured Image Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
By: Sarah Sharkey

The North Atlantic right whale is a species that on the decline. The population was hit extremely hard by whaling decades ago and has never been able to recover. There are fewer than 500 animals left in the population which is a terrifyingly low number.

Anyone who loves whales is extremely worried about this species. Last year, researchers were especially worried because no new calves were born. Without new babies, the population would never be able to recover. It was a depressing season of whale watching.

However, the whales seem to be making a comeback this year. Three new calves have been born this winter! Although there is a low number, it is much more encouraging than zero.

These whales are one of the most endangered populations and on the planet. Only 411 whales remain according to the last count. Not only is reproduction slow, but whales are dying at a quick rate. Between strandings, gear entanglement, and vessel strikes. These endangered whales become rarer every single day.

Although the calves are definitely worth celebrating, three new calves cannot stop the slow path towards extinction. The gentles giants are facing threats from all sides and we need to do everything in our power to protect them.

Learn more from our source.

News

This New App Will Connect You to Orcas

Featured Image Credit:Wikipedia

A new app will be able to connect you directly to the inner conversations of orcas around the San Juan Islands. The app is called Orcasound. The app is connect to live underwater microphones that are placed on the seafloor in the area.

When you open the app, you can listen to everything that is happening beneath the waves. Although it is an amazing opportunity to connect to wildlife, the creators of the app are hoping that it turns into something more.

Scientists need help tracking these orcas. Through the app, users can alert the scientists when there is a whale nearby. The scientists can then send out a team to collect samples of fecal material or prey in order to find out more about these orcas. The more we know, the better we can help these struggling whales.

The app is extremely easy to use, but it is a real way to help scientists study orcas.

In addition to orcas, you will be able to hear other kinds of marine life. It is very interesting to just listen to what is happening on the seafloor. You never know what you might hear! The app has a guide that will help you learn what the calls mean and which type of animal is making them.

Definitely check this one out!

Killer Whales Attack Humpback Whale Calves

Featured Image Credit: ©Steve Hinczynski

Whales are beautiful creatures that can take a variety of forms. From the large baleen whales to smaller toothed whales, many of us love them in any form. However, interactions between different whale species are not always enjoyable. In fact, many of the encounters are violent. This is especially true for interactions between humpback and killer whales.

Humpback whales participate in an annual migration towards tropical waters each year. Typically they give birth here and then head back into colder waters to feed. Along the way, they encounter killer whale pods that viciously attack them. The killer whales are attempting to kill the newborn calves. Sometimes the orcas win, other times the humpback whale calf manages to get away with the scars to show.

Researchers spent several years analyzing over 3,000 humpback whale tails and flukes to better understand this species interaction. According to Juan Capella, the leader researcher, “Because the chances of observing rake marks on young, vulnerable whales increased in the last 20 years, we think that killer whale attacks on humpback whales may be more common now than they were in the past, perhaps due to the recovery of whale breeding stocks in the Southeast Pacific after hunting was prohibited.”

Based on the study, it appears that humpback whales are attacked on their first journey to colder waters. However, after that first year, the orcas seem to leave them alone.

Learn more from the source.

News

Scientists Plan to Sequence the Genome of Southern Resident Orcas

Image Source: NW News Network

You have likely heard of the plight of orcas in the Pacific Northwest area. Scientists are studying and monitoring the dwindling population. So far, their efforts have not been successful at stalling the downfall of these whales. However, they are attempting a new method that could shed new light onto the beloved resident whales.

The new method is aimed at understanding the genetics of these animals better. The better we can understand their genetics, the more clues we have to help save them in the future.

The project is hoping to sequence the entire genome of over 100 southern resident whales. The genetic samples will be taken via skin and tissue samples from both living and dead whales. Any of the genetic material from dead whales will have been collected in the past 2 decades.

Image source: Plethrons YouTube

Within a year, the project hopes to have the genetic information ready for analysis. Based on the findings of this genetic work, scientists will have a direction for the future. Perhaps a small gene pool has left inbreeding problems, or a genetic mutation is affecting their immune systems. Whatever the case, scientists will know more once the genetic analysis has been completed.

It is impossible to guess what the genome sequencing project will find, but it is hoped that it will help scientists understand the needs of the whales better. With a better understanding, we will be better able to help the whales avoid extinction.

Learn more about the new project here.

Guest Columns

Beluga Pod Adopted a Young Narwhal

Featured Image Credit: Baleines En Direct

BALIENES EN DIRECT

In July, researchers were tagging beluga whales in the St. Lawrence River. The project was focused on finding out more about these uniquely white whales, but they encountered a surprise

While doing drone surveillance, researchers spotted a narwhal within a group of beluga whales. The narwhal seemed completely comfortable with his blindingly white friends. It was an unusual sighting because narwhals and beluga whales are not known to be friends.

Narwhals are typically found in the icy waters of the Arctic, which is roughly 600 miles north of the St Lawrence River. The narwhal in this beluga pod was a young male that seemed at home with the belugas. In fact, researcher Robert Michaud claimed that “it behaves like it was one of the boys. It’s a like a big social ball of young juveniles that are playing some social, sexual games.”

Marine biologists are not completely surprised by the interaction. Whales are highly intelligent animals that are capable of creating meaningful bonds with others. It is exciting to see that these bonds may extend beyond species lines.

This is not the first sighting of this narwhal with the beluga pod. He has been seen socializing with the same group in both 2016 and 2017. Scientists have speculated that the narwhal may have come this far south in response to a changing climate, but they know that they need to conduct more observations in order to find out more about this awesome interaction.

Killer Whales Spotted in the Victoria Harbor

Over the summer, Victoria’s Inner Harbor received many unexpected welcome visits from a killer whale pod. In a matter of little over a week two visits happened, and several others occurred during the summer.

According to a local whale watching captain, Jackie Cowan, the pod that came into the harbor were transient whales. They came into the harbor by following the tide towards seals and sea lions that tend to hang out in the area.

Jackie said that the whales followed the incoming tide due to an influx of nutrients that whales know as seal attractants. Although the thought process of the whales was good, they only stayed in the harbor for about 30 minutes for one trip. Another trip inside lasted about an hour. The whales don’t seem to enjoy sticking around the busy port area. However, it was the first time that killer whales had been spotted that far into the harbor in a while.

No one is quite sure why the visits are more frequent this year, but for whatever reason the whales are showing a preference to the area. It could be related to falling food supplies, human disturbance, or could just be the curiosity of the killer whales. Unlike their resident counterparts, transient killer whales seem to focus on less more available sources of food, instead of mostly salmon.