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Curious whale interrupts research team's live video feed
Find Your Forecast
Leeanna McLean
Digital Reporter
Digital Reporter
Saturday, April 18, 2015, 2:33 PM - Researchers in the Gulf of Mexico were bewildered recently, after encountering a rare deep-sea experience.
A sperm whale decided to interrupt the scientists, circling around their remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV), Hercules.
The research team currently on a six-month expedition, were just off the coast of Louisiana, U.S., on the Nautilus exploration vessel. They had been using the Hercules to study marine life surrounding hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor when the whale appeared in the live video stream.
The mammal decided to stick around for a while.
What a great surprise! The sperm whale wants us to know "we" are in their territory. https://t.co/N5UZtvTfgo
— Suely Argianas (@spargianas) April 18, 2015
Sperm whales are endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, under the Endangered Species Act.
Whaling peaked around the mid-20th century. About 25,000 sperm whales were killed each year, which drastically decreased the populations.
SOURCE: Huffington Post
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