Biologists have revealed the reason for the refusal of humpback whales of the Arabian Sea from migration
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- Biologists have revealed the reason for the refusal of humpback whales of the Arabian Sea from migration
There is a small population of humpback whales in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman. Scientists have discovered the unique features of the ecology of the species, finding out that they, unlike their relatives, abandoned seasonal migrations across the oceans. This was reported on June 19 by the magazine Phys.org .
Andrew Wilson, marine biologist, first author of the study and Founding Director of the Seas of the Future Research Center:
We have shown that the humpback whales of the Arabian Sea mostly remained within a very limited habitat along the coast of Oman. Along with local movements, we also recorded the first long-range movement of the species across the Arabian Sea, which indicates the possibility of other important habitats in this region.
The population of these mammals numbers just over 80 individuals and is classified as endangered. Genetic studies show that the humpback whales of the Arabian Sea separated from the populations of the Southern Hemisphere about 70 thousand years ago. Due to the monsoon, the western part of the reservoir is one of the most productive upwelling zones in the world, the process of rising deep cold waters to the sea surface, which allows whales to find food all year round without leaving the region.
During the work, the scientists used 14 satellite tags installed in Hallaniyat Bay and Masira Bay. The tags transmitted data for an average of 53 days, recording more than 1.8 thousand locations. It turned out that 57% of the time the animals spend in Masira Bay, which is their key habitat.
Andrew Wilson, marine biologist, first author of the study and Founding Director of the Seas of the Future Research Center:
We believe that the movements of the whales involved in our study are related to the search for coastal prey, most likely sardines, on the continental shelf. Deeper dives beyond the continental shelf may involve searching for other food, such as krill.
A female named Luban attracted special attention of the researchers. She became the first representative of the population to make a large-scale trip.: Luban crossed the Arabian Sea and reached the shores of the Indian state of Goa. The total length of her route back and forth was about 7 thousand km. Scientists believe that the drivers of such movement could be food search or reproduction. Later, Luban was spotted again in Masira Bay.
According to Souad Al-Harti, co-author of the project and executive director of the Oman Ecological Society, the Arabian Sea provides unique conditions that allow a once-migratory species to completely change its ecology. The researchers hope that the data obtained will help protect the isolated population from the effects of climate change and the negative effects of human activity.
On June 10, Nature magazine reported the discovery of the largest whale cemetery in the Indian Ocean. According to the publication, for at least 5.3 million years, carcasses of various marine animals have been trapped in this area off the southwestern coast of Australia. The scientists noted that such an accumulation is associated with the features of the bottom relief and the concentration of the food supply for cetaceans.
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