Becky Oskin,
OurAmazingPlanet Staff Writer
Date: 04 April
2013 Time: 03:14 PM ET
Whales may be
the biggest animals on Earth, but finding them in the vast open ocean isn't
easy.
Now, an
Australia-led research team has demonstrated a novel idea for chasing down the
massive marine mammals. To search for Antarctic
blue whales, the group dropped sonar buoys in the Ross
Sea west of Antarctica ,
and listened for whale calls. They triangulated the whale's location from their
calls, and then sailed to the right spot.
During the
research cruise, the scientists photographed 57 blue whales, collected 23 skin
biopsy samples and stuck on two satellite-tracking tags. They also spotted 11
pygmy blue whales and eight humpback whales, among a total 720 cetacean species
(the group that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises).
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