Sperm whales blow bubbles to stay afloat while resting, research shows

Filed 1h ago · Via Mongabay · The Buffoon Desk

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Local Forecast - Elevator

Kevin MacLeod · incompetech.com · CC BY 4.0

Photo: Diplomatic Security Service from Washington, D.C., United St · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

A new study using data from 42 tagged sperm whales near Norway's Lofoten Islands confirms that the animals release air bubbles to stay neutrally buoyant while resting vertically near the surface, a behavior long suspected but not previously demonstrated.

Because the whales' low-density head organs push them upward as they drift, releasing bubbles counteracts that pull and lets them stay submerged rather than bobbing up. Seventeen of the 42 whales were observed in this resting posture, sometimes for up to three hours, and researchers say the finding could help assess the whales' vulnerability to ship strikes.

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Source: Read the original at Mongabay → Scored: Local Forecast - Elevator · Kevin MacLeod · CC BY 4.0

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