Cameras reveal feeding habits of whales
Print Edition
WHALE cameras have revealed the secret feeding habits of the giant mammals in Antarctica, details on their social lives, and even how they must blow hard to clear sea ice to breathe.
Scientists attached tiny cameras and electronic tags to humpbacks to better understand what they do underwater as they study how shrinking sea ice caused by warming sea temperatures linked to climate change may impact them.
“Once we have an idea about where the whales feed, how often, where they go and rest, we can use this to inform policy and management to protect these whales and their ecosystem,” leading whale scientist Ari Friedlaender said.
The Australian Antarctic Division-led team said the information helped to determine how the abundance of their main food, krill, affected the feeding success of whales.
The cameras were attached by suction cups to each whale for between 24 and 48 hours before they fell off and were retrieved and reused.
WWF-Australia, which helped to fund the cameras, said the work was about enabling habitats to become more resilient.
The Antarctic contains some of the most pristine marine ecosystems left on the planet and is seen as a critical laboratory for scientists monitoring the effects of climate change.
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