The inhabitants of the ocean depths
Whales – the inhabitants of the depths of the ocean
Whales, the largest animals that live in the ocean, including all of the largest creatures that ever lived. In this group of giant animals, sperm whales set a record: they are the largest hunters with their teeth.
Sperm whales are very strong Predators. They are immersed in cold water in the black depths of the ocean, hunting squid – including the giant squid.
They are also a rich and varied social life. They live in family groups and support each other.
Recent studies suggest that the relationship of sperm whales in the family group just as important for them as our own.
The female sperm whales are likely able to detect sperm whales and their families, social nakoplivat knowledge and recall their interaction history for a very long period of separation.
His research, published in the journal “animal behavior, shows that sperm whales have a specific preference, in the same way we might Edge separation – is a favorite cousin or aunt.
These preferences remain constant for man years, it is assumed that whales recall their distant friends and family, despite the fact that they spend most of their lives apart.
In ten years, 20 families from the coast of the Caribbean island nation of Dominica. In total, they spent 3,500 hours watching them.
Whenever whales dived for food, the researchers do photo graphy, noting any whales spent the most time together. Individuals are easily identified unique markers kstanovlennymi their tail fins. At night, followed by their team, echolocation clicks. Sperm whales are extremely powerful sonar system used for hunting, which can be heard from 1km down. No one is tracking sperm whales families for so long before. This allowed the team to create a detailed picture of their social preferences.
A typical family consists of about seven people and can cover three generations of women. The males live mostly solitary life.
In a short period, a group of sperm whales can also chat with other families. They usually spend a few days together before melted.
These families must have known each other for more than 10-year study period. They all live in the same seas, cut off from other populations of sperm whales.
Social ties are important. Life sperm whales seem to be inextricably linked with the establishment of lasting relationships with others.
The sole purpose of whales to be safe with their families. Living Group provides protection from predatory killer whales, sperm whales that hunt young.
In the vast, dark ocean, where prey is everything, the most important thing in your life – is your family. The findings suggest that the loss of even one whale of the family can have devastating consequences for the rest of the group. Some whales are not interchangeable. The loss of identity leads to changes in the social network and affects the lives of many.
Sperm whales are shot more than the whalers. Currently, they face other threats, including disruptive noise from ships and the danger to get lost in
fishing nets. In the group they belong to the toothed whales in the ocean and lived longer than people had walked upright. They lived in parallel with us, largely unnoticed beneath the surface for a few generations, and we must protect them, leaving it will not