Two years ago, a team of marine biologists was fast asleep on a research vessel off the coast of Brazil when the captain woke them with a big announcement. The scientists made their way to the stern, where they found three whales riding the ship's wake. The researchers watched the whales for more than an hour.
Israel Maciel has worked with marine mammals for more than a decade, but he has never seen a whale follow a boat for that long.
Smaller marine mammals such as dolphins can ride the waves that come sideways from vessels. The low-pressure troughs created by the waves allow the animals to swim quickly. The whales were riding waves that came from the stern. Like a bicycle rider can draft behind a vehicle or another cyclist, these waves can pull an animal along.
As the Brazilian scientists were studying how marine mammals respond to the noise generated by the sound blasts that energy companies use to map the seafloor, the late-night encounter occurred. The whales were only visible in the ship's lights. The researchers believe the episode marked the first time scientists have been able to record a large whale behind a ship. It is a rare instance of observing whales at night.
The whales, which can grow to 17 meters long, were likely using the ship's wake to save energy as they began their annual migration from Brazil to their winter waters off ofAntarctica. The ship was travelling in the same direction. Frank Fish of West Chester University was not involved with the study. Calves are more likely to experience drag than adults. A tired mother and calf may have to barely move a muscle if they are hitchhiking on the wave. This makes sense to me. In order to save energy, animals will do what they have to.
John Long, a program director at the National Science Foundation, says that it is surprising that this behavior hasn't been documented before. He thinks the factors lined up perfectly to make the wake ride. The ship was moving at 9 kilometers to 11 kilometers per hour, which is at the higher end of a whaler's potential speed. An attractive wake may have formed because winds were gentle.
Researchers from Brazil hope to find out if wake riding is common among whales. The answer could show how animals perceive and interact with ships. Riding directly behind a ship could help the whales avoid strikes with other vessels, but it could also cause the animals to venture into high-traffic sea lanes more frequently.
It could be difficult to spot more hitchhiking whales at night. It is a thankless task to look for whales at night. Who is going to see a whale if the Titanic couldn't see anything?
The observation reminds Long of how little is known about the ocean's leviathans. He says that the environment could be exploited to help with long-term migrations. That is absolutely incredible.
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