Whales

Humpback Whale Found 50 Feet Away From The Shore In The Amazon Jungle

Early last month, biologists found a humpback whale in the middle of Brazil’s Amazon jungle. That’s right, a 26 foot long whale found 50 feet into the jungle. The dead whale was found 50 feet away from the shore of Araruna Beach.

According to the Brazilian nonprofit, the Bicho D’agua, Institute, “It is not an adult animal, nor as large as it seems in the pictures.”

A marine biologist, Renata Emin, says “we’re still not sure how it landed here, but we’re guessing that the creature was floating close to the shore and the tide, which has been pretty considerable over the past few days, picked it up and threw it inland, into the mangrove. Along with the astonishing feat, we are baffled as to what a humpback whale is doing on the north coast of Brazil during February because this is a very unusual occurrence.”

Officials have speculated that the whale likely died to stress from separation from its mother and too much plastic in its stomach. Although there is no formal cause of death yet, scientists are working on it.

Emin also told the press that, “depending on the state of decomposition, some information may already have been lost. We are collecting as much information as we can get and identifying marks and wounds on its body to see if it was caught in a net or hit by a boat.”

Blue Whales Seen In Record Number In Great Australian Bight

Featured Image Credit: Blue Whale Study
By: Sarah Sharkey

Researchers were able to estimate that there were around 50 blue whales in the Great Australian Bight this past summer which is a record seen they started whale aerial surveys. Unfortunately, whale aerial surveys are expensive to conduct, so these scientists had to take another approach to count these blue whales.

Tuna spotters in the region were the reason that the boom of whales was able to be recorded this year. The Blue Whale Study CEO credited southern bluefin tuna spotters for recording these whales. He had this to say, “It’s a remote region, it’s hard to get to, it’s expensive, and it’s risky because you are flying a long way offshore. We are a very small organization and getting the money to do those kinds of surveys is hard; we can’t get out there as often as we would like, so we’ve missed whole years. Commonwealth funding dried up years ago, we had industry funding from oil and gas companies, but over the years that also dropped off. We are fortunate for the existence of the tuna industry in the Bight — that’s the only reason there is a fleet of aircraft out there, searching.”

The recent collaboration between tuna spotters looking for schools of fish to collect and the blue whale scientists has been a great way for researchers to find out more about the blue whale population in this region.

Learn more from our source.

Whales

Sixth North Atlantic Right Whale Calf Spotted This Season!

Featured Image Credit: Photo provided by Marineland Right Whale Project/Ralph Bundy, under NOAA/NMFS permit No. 20626
By: Sarah Sharkey

After a depressing 2018 season in which no calves were born, this season is offering hope for the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale population. The sixth calf was spotted on recently by Marineland’s Right Whale Project off the coast of Flagler Beach.

According to the senior scientist and project coordinator for the Right Whale Project, Jim Hain, “We are inching forward.” The calves are cause for hope but six calves may not be enough to turn the tides for the entire population.

The new calf was spotted first by a neighbor of Linda Grissom, a team member of the Right Whale Project. After a call to the hotline, team leader Stephanie York was able to confirm that it was a mother-calf pair. Ralph Bundy, a drone pilot, was able to get a drone into the sky and take pictures of the whales to confirm their identities.

The whales are still in a precarious position. Scientists estimate that there are only 411 whales left. Although new calves are a blessing, the whales still face other threats like ship strikes, ghost gear and more. Typically, these whales live in the frigid waters of Nova Scotia but in the winter the females migrate south to give birth in warmer waters.

It is encouraging to see this boom of whale calves. Hopefully, this trend will continue.

Learn more from our source.

Whales

Should We Be Doing More To Help Southern Resident Killer Whales?

Featured Image Credit: NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Science Foundation
By: Sarah Sharkey

It is no secret that the Southern Resident killer whale population is suffering. In fact, the dwindling pod of orcas seems to be slowly starving to death. These whales rely heavily on Chinook salmon as their primary food source. As salmon populations decline, the killer whales have been suffering as well.

Researchers and activists are starting to question if they should be doing more to save these whales. Should humans be feeding starving animals with medicated live salmon? Would these actions be justifiable because humans are closely connected to the sources of their demise? Would that harm the integrity of the wild nature of these animals? If we start doing this, when do we stop? The debate is intense around this delicate issue.

The debate kicked off after the death of Scarlet, a four-year-old whale last year. It was clear that Scarlet was starving from a distance, and veterinarians were attempting to analyze her body for ailments from afar. Experts even attempted to save her by feeding her live salmon, but it was not successful. She eventually wasted away without more direct human intervention.

A different story unfolded almost 16 years ago surrounding a whale named Springer. She was an orphaned whale rescued in Puget Sound and returned to distant relatives in Canada that started with close human connections and direct human intervention. Springer is living happily in the British Columbia area while Scarlet has died.

It is difficult to determine how far human intervention should go. But as this population of whales continues to lose weight and move closer towards extinction, we are forced to debate the pros and cons of any intervention. No consensus has been reached, but the debate will continue in full swing for the foreseeable future.

Learn more from our source.

News

A Rare Bryde’s Whale Was Found Beached On This Small Island

Featured Image Credit: NewsPress

Earlier this week a Bryde’s whale was found beached on a small island in Everglades National Park. Bryde’s whales are extremely rare, so scientists were eager to examine the body. It was sad to see the whale dead, but scientists agreed that it will still be valuable to research efforts.

According to Blair Mase-Guthrie, a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “This animal is a very important specimen. There’s thought to be less than 100 in the Gulf of Mexico, and it’s the only whale that lives year-round in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s that valuable, this specimen. While it’s very sad that it’s dead it’s still a lot of value to us.”

Park officials towed the whale back to Flamingo boat ramp where biologists were waiting to perform a necropsy. After taking samples, the biologists buried the body near the boat ramp. After several months, they will return to the area and dig up the bones. After being cleaned by natural decomposition, the bones will be taken to the Smithsonian for further study.

Bryde’s whales have many information gaps that scientists are hoping to fill. The whales are only found in tropical and subtropical waters. Some live in the Gulf of Mexico year-round, while others migrate further south. The population in the Gulf of Mexico is considered endangered, so any additional information about these animals is priceless.

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!