Rare Omura's whale colony off Madagascar studied for the first time
The Omura's whales of Madagascar that scientists who observed them initially thought they belonged to another species.
The New England Aquarium announced on Thursday that Dr. Salvatore Cerchio and his fellow researchers had made a record number of 80 individual sightings of the Omura鈥檚 whales off the coast of Madagascar last fall. Previously, researchers had only made 44 individual sightings total since the species was discovered.
The tropical whale species was only recognized as a distinct species in 2003, when researchers studying what they originally thought were pygmy Bryde鈥檚 whales realized that they were actually seeing a whole separate species.
鈥淥nce we realized they were Omura鈥檚 whales, it was mind boggling because first of all, no one had studied these animals,鈥� said Dr. Cerchio in an . 鈥淣o one had seen them or documented them in the wild and they were not supposed to be in Madagascar. The work that we鈥檝e done has extended their range significantly.鈥�
For a long time, the Omura鈥檚 whale was little studied. Although researchers in 2013, it was not until last fall that they were able to study them in depth.
Last fall鈥檚 sightings are by far the most contact researchers have ever had with the whale, whose .听
Although the whales look somewhat like Bryde鈥檚 whales, they are distinctive for their asymmetrical head pigmentation and centered head ridges.
The Omura鈥檚 whale is also unusual because as far as researchers know, it spends its entire life in a tropical environment. There is little for whales to eat in the tropics.
After observing the whales this fall, Cerchio and his team realized that the whales were called euphausiids.
鈥淭he fact we are seeing them feed 鈥� and getting data on what they are feeding on,鈥� said Cerchio, 鈥渋s a great opportunity to learn about an ecosystem and how the species fits into that ecosystem.鈥�
Omura鈥檚 whales are baleen whales, which means they filter food, such as the euphausiids, through a built-in sieve structure called baleen in their mouths. At about 33 feet long, they belong to the same group, rorquals, as the massive Blue whale (100 feet long) and the tiny Minke whale (25 feet long).
According to Cerchio, the team鈥檚 discovery of five mother-calf pairs indicates that the whales are breeding off Madagascar鈥檚 coastline. Researchers also spotted one specific whale for the third time in four years, which means that it is likely the same group of whales reside in the same area yearly.
The whales also interested researchers with their song. 聽Last fall, Cerchio and his team captured two weeks of whale audio.
In April, they will return to the whales鈥� territory to collect six months of recordings from recorders they left in October.
鈥淭hey sing a very simple but interesting song. It鈥檚 very rhythmic and they repeat the same vocalization for hours on end,鈥� Cerchio told Fox News. 鈥淵ou have groups of animals singing in a chorus 鈥� These guys are feeding, breeding, and singing all in the same habitat.鈥�
The team has published a paper on the Omura鈥檚 whale, and is currently seeking funding to return for research in 2016. The 2015 field expedition was funded by the US Marine Mammal Commission.
Cerchio told Fox News that it is important to be aware of populations like that of the Omura's, because they are vulnerable to natural and manmade disasters.
