3 days ago
Photo of elusive creature off Aussie coast reveals incredible feat: 'Invaluable'
A striking photo of a small boat approaching an elusive creature off the Aussie coast has highlighted an incredible feat. For over a week, a team of researchers perched in the vessel for hours with the hope of catching a glimpse of whales migrating along Western Australia.
But they had their sights set on one species in particular — the endangered and evasive pygmy blue whale. Despite their incredible stature, with some measuring up to 24 metres in length, 'very little' is known about the animal's population size, and researchers are eager to learn more.
After waiting patiently for days, the crew of scientists were able to tag their first pygmy blue whale of the season, named Nyinggulu, with a satellite tracker, allowing them to follow its movements and behaviour, Dr Michele Thums, a research scientist for the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) told Yahoo News after returning from the water.
'In our case, we are attaching them to pygmy blue whales on their northern migration to see where they go, the routes they take and where they spend most of their time,' she said.
'The tags we are using not only record the position of the whales, but also their diving behaviour along their migratory paths, allowing us to learn more about their foraging and feeding behaviour.'
When the whales surface to breathe, the tags transmit data via satellite to a processing centre and then, to AIMS for analysis, she explained.
During the recent venture off WA's coast, experts were able to attach the 'state-of-the-art' tags to a total of four pygmy blue whales.
After locating a whale, the team manoeuvred their boat as close as possible and used specialist equipment to implant the tags, which are equipped with short barbs, into the outer blubber layer. They will fall off after a few weeks or months.
'Attaching tags to pygmy blue whales is a very difficult process as they only surface to breathe for a few seconds before diving into the deep again for 15 to 20 minutes,' Dr Thums said. 'When they surface to breathe is the only opportunity we get to attach tags.'
The research scientist told Yahoo the team hoped to tag as many whales as they could find, but the work depends on the weather and the whales themselves.
'Pygmy blue whales migrate through an area off the Ningaloo coast which is just off the continental slope where rough seas are often found,' Dr Thums said. 'Being an endangered species, their numbers are low and they can be hard to find. In addition, they can be shy of boats approaching them.'
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Dr Thums said the four pygmy whales are already providing 'excellent' and 'invaluable' data that could help keep the mysterious species safe. The information will provide experts with insight into which areas 'along their vast ranges' are more important to the marine animals, which can live for up to 90 years.
'It's important to identify and protect the areas where pygmy blue whales search for food (foraging areas) and feed, because food fuels the whales' migration and breeding activities, which is key to their recovery,' Dr Thums told Yahoo.
'Governments and industry can use this information to better manage their important habitats, such as by reducing potential threats to the endangered pygmy blue whales in these areas. The more we know about the whales the more that can be done to protect them.'
Since partnering with the Centre for Whale Research in 2019, AIMS has been able to tag a total of 29 whales of varying species.
To track the pygmy whales' progress, click here.
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