150 fin whales were spotted by a research expedition near the coast of Elephant Island, which is located in the Antarctic Peninsula.
The scientist found the whales on the sixth week of the nine-week expedition. “It was one of the most spectacular observations I’ve had,” Helena Herr, a marine mammal ecologist at the University of Hamburg, told the New York Times. “The fin whales seemed to go crazy because of the food load they were confronted with. It was absolutely thrilling.” The scientists on the expedition are still doing research about the whales.
The large number of fin whales has been the biggest number recorded in history. Dr. Herr and her colleagues reported that the fin whales are going back to the waters of their historic feeding grounds.
As the whales feed on their food source, krill, they bring it to the surface of the water. This can also help feed other predators. These predators include seabirds, and seals. The animals create the operation symbiosis which means organisms helping each other.
Jarrod Santora is a fisheries biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “There’s much more cooperation and symbiosis than we usually give the ecosystem credit for,” he says.
Extinction is speeding up because of human activity. By 2300, most marine animals may die off. This is because greenhouse gas emissions trap heat in plants that will release that heat back into the climate, heating up the ocean. Dr. Herr says the whale sighting is “a sign that if you enforce management and conservation, there are chances for species to recover.”
Dr. Herr and colleagues decided to support the fin whales’ revival by helping and studying them.
The scientist found the whales on the sixth week of the nine-week expedition. “It was one of the most spectacular observations I’ve had,” Helena Herr, a marine mammal ecologist at the University of Hamburg, told the New York Times. “The fin whales seemed to go crazy because of the food load they were confronted with. It was absolutely thrilling.” The scientists on the expedition are still doing research about the whales.
The large number of fin whales has been the biggest number recorded in history. Dr. Herr and her colleagues reported that the fin whales are going back to the waters of their historic feeding grounds.
As the whales feed on their food source, krill, they bring it to the surface of the water. This can also help feed other predators. These predators include seabirds, and seals. The animals create the operation symbiosis which means organisms helping each other.
Jarrod Santora is a fisheries biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “There’s much more cooperation and symbiosis than we usually give the ecosystem credit for,” he says.
Extinction is speeding up because of human activity. By 2300, most marine animals may die off. This is because greenhouse gas emissions trap heat in plants that will release that heat back into the climate, heating up the ocean. Dr. Herr says the whale sighting is “a sign that if you enforce management and conservation, there are chances for species to recover.”
Dr. Herr and colleagues decided to support the fin whales’ revival by helping and studying them.
