An international team of researchers recently captured the first underwater video of True’s beaked whales in the wild. The notoriously mysterious beaked whales, known for spending most of their time in deep water, was filmed near Pico Island near the Portuguese Azores in the northeast Atlantic Ocean. Even cooler, the team snapped a photo of a calf, another first.
Scientists consider beaked whales to be among the least understood mammals on earth. These cetaceans often spend hours feeding at depths of up to two miles. And, apparently, they don’t like boats, so scientific observation is extremely difficult. Despite that, though, scientists are making progress. A recent report released in connection with the video presents data indicating both Azores and Canary Islands seem to be among the beaked whales’ favorite spots. Furthermore, the video footage offered the scientists proof of a never before seen coloration pattern of the True’s beaked so as to more accurately discern them from similar species in the future.
To top it off, apparently, the footage was captured by a team that included students enrolled in a school program. The True’s beaked whales appeared out of nowhere and within a couple meters of their boat. What an appearance and what a shock to the students and researchers both.
