Whale beaching in Amazon jungle fits with recent pattern of whales behaving strangely

[Judi Lynn]

A beaching in the Amazon jungle marks another recent example of leviathans acting funny. What could it mean?

NICOLE KARLIS
FEBRUARY 26, 2019 12:00AM (UTC)

Marine biologists in Brazil are probing a bizarre marine life incident in which a dead humpback whale was found 50 feet ashore on an island in the Amazon River. The whale was discovered on Friday. At this time of year, humpbacks are generally eating krill in Antarctica, thousands of miles south.

The Brazilian conservation non-profit Bicho D’Água discovered the whale after noticing vultures were circling a mangrove on the island. The whale was beached in an area that was difficult to access on foot, nearly 50 meters from the beach. Experts tell local media that it could be a result of the high tides the area has experienced over the last few days. Necropsy of the carcass and other samples are being collected to help researchers and scientists accurately determine the cause of death.

Biologist Renata Emin told the Brazilian news site G1 that the whale's beaching was particularly unusual not because of its distance from shore, but rather the time of year the whale was found. The humpback whale was about 26 feet long, about half the length of a full-grown adult, and is thought to be a calf who lost its mother while migrating.

. . .

The calf's beaching is one of many recent cetacean oddities happening in our oceans. In 2017, humpback whales in South Africa were discovered to be forming “super-groups,” a peculiar behavior for marine mammals who are reputed to be solitary. Meanwhile, since January 2016, an increased number of humpback whale mortalities have occurred from Maine through Florida, leading the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries to declare an “unusual mortality event." According to recent data, 50 percent of the humpback whale mortalities that occurred along the Atlantic coast from Maine through Florida between 2016 and 2019 had evidence of human interaction — for example, a ship strike or entanglement.

More:
https://www.salon.com/2019/02/25/whale-beaching-in-amazon-jungle-fits-with-recent-pattern-of-whales-behaving-strangely/

[Duppers]

1. 😩 nt