Unknown population of blue whales found in Indian Ocean
Researchers have discovered a previously unknown population of blue whales – the largest mammals on the planet. They live in the Indian Ocean, Scientific Reports reports.
Interestingly, the discovery was made with bomb detectors. Underwater microphones accidentally recorded the singing of sea animals.
“We found a whole new group of pygmy blue whales right in the middle of the Indian Ocean. We don't know how many whales there are in this group, but we suspect there are many, judging by the sheer number of voices we hear, ”said University of New South Wales professor and marine ecologist Tracy Rogers.
Blue whales in the Southern Hemisphere are difficult to study because they prefer to stay at depth and rarely show up on the surface. To track populations, scientists rely mainly on audio signals.
Whale songs can be carried in the water for a distance of 200 to 400 km. Each individual group has its own repertoire, unique as a fingerprint. Scientists still do not know if whales are born with the ability to sing or are taught to do so afterwards.
The researchers named the new group of whales “Chagos”, after the nearby archipelago. It probably migrates across the Indian Ocean depending on the season.
“We found traces of them not only in the central Indian Ocean, but also far to the north, on the coast of Sri Lanka, and in the east of the Indian Ocean, to the coast of Kimberley in northern Western Australia,” the scientists said.
Dwarf blue whales are much smaller than their counterparts, but, nevertheless, they are impressive in size: over 20 meters in length and 90 tons in weight. Earlier it became known that 55 unaccounted blue (or blue) whales were spotted in the South Atlantic Ocean. This is the first such case in several decades.
