Global Round-up of Whale News

Pilot whales have the unfortunate habit of beaching themselves. On February 22, 49 individuals were found stranded on a secluded beach in Farewell Spit, New Zealand. While here in the St. Lawrence, live strandings are relatively rare and mainly involve single individuals, such events are regular occurrences in other parts of the world. Farewell Spit has previously seen strandings of over 600 pilot whales.

Pilot whales are also present in the St. Lawrence, especially in the Gulf sector. In 1930, 27 pilot whales were found beached east of Trois-Pistoles. This cetacean belongs to the dolphin family, which also includes the Atlantic white-sided dolphin and the killer whale. Highly gregarious, pilot whales can be observed in herds numbering in the thousands, but are more often seen in groups of 20 to 150 individuals. Like killer whales, pilot whales tend to stay with their mothers throughout their lives, forming small family units that can come together at different times and for activities. The strength of social bonds is one of the hypotheses that has been put forward to explain these mass strandings. It is for this reason that the species is called the “pilot whale”, for the belief that when one individual runs aground, its peers will follow. But many other theories also exist.

Back to the incident. In an attempt to save as many animals as possible, a large mobilization got under way, bringing together experts from the rescue organization Project Jonah, the New Zealand Department of Conservation and some 200 volunteers. For two days, they took turns trying to lead the whales back into the water and prevent them from beaching themselves again. One individual was even taken out to sea using a floating pontoon towed by a boat, in the hope that it would summon its fellow pilot whales to join it far from shore. Will it work? Stay tuned!

Off the coast of Guadeloupe, the first songs of a male humpback were recorded on February 16. In this species, songs are produced mainly by bulls during the breeding season. Is it to show their dominance with respect to other males? To seduce a female? A bit of both? We cannot say. But what we do know is that “singing” is actually a repetition of sounds that vary and complement each other, forming a “song” lasting anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. The males in a group are believed to all sing the same song, and when one individual changes tune, the others follow suit.

Turn up the volume to listen to 421, a male that has become familiar to the research teams of Ommag Guadeloupe and Cétacés Caraïbes.

Have you seen a whale or a seal in the St. Lawrence? Don’t hesitate to write me! Your whale story will contribute to next week’s column.