There are only 10,000 bowhead whales left in the world. If we manage to kill them entirely, we will have said goodbye to one of the longest surviving species on the planet.
While the absence of teeth makes it difficult to accurately age the species, studies suggest that the bowhead whale does fir that description. These marine mammals can grow to a length of 65 feet. They are elusive, and offer only rare sightings.
Mostly seen in the Arctic, the whales have also been spotted off the British coast. Extensive whaling over the several decades means that bowhead whales have increasingly become an endangered species.
A team of researchers from the University of British Columbia in Canada has spent four summers researching the behaviour of bowhead whales. The team was aided by drone technology to record the lives of the creatures and learn how they forage and travel.
Turns out they spend their mornings feeding, and resting in the afternoon. They dive deep in the water to look for food even though the crustaceans they eat are found at the surface. And they swim in a coordinated v-shaped formation.
Sarah Fortune, who heads the team, said in an interview, that while observation from a ship only allowed for partial visuals of the whale, drone footage provided a much better perspective.
While Fortune and her team will pour over the thousands of images captured during the study, we internet users can view the awe-inspiring beauty of the visuals from the comfort of our homes. The whales can be seen resting in the waters, swimming, and spouting water from their blow holes.
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