Hugh Bollinger / Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Whale sightings, update

We have followed the whale sightings in California's Klamath River with two recent amateur videos. The mother whale died and a necropsy is planned to determine the cause of death. However, marine mammal research friends in Australia tell Riled Up that: "It's quite possible this whale knew her time was up and stayed in shallow water to die. Our whale experts advise that sick or dying whales will beach themselves or go to shallow water for their last days in preference to being torn to pieces by sharks at sea. It is interesting that her weaned calf was able to safely exit. Sometimes our best intentions in trying to move the whale back out to sea may be against their wishes." If these are the end-of-life motivations for this visiting Klamath River gray whale, it may be one more indication of their exceptional intelligence. WHB

Greenland's green auroras Beluga calypso

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Tags: gray whales Klamath River animal intelligence marine mammal conservation ocean animals

Whale sightings, update

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