ENDANGERED right whales can’t get out of the way of boats because they’re too
buoyant, which may explain why they are hit so often.
A team at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts confirmed
anecdotal evidence that North Atlantic right whales float more than other
species. After tagging eight whales with acoustic devices and listening to 95
dives, they concluded that the animals’ thick layer of blubber lets them glide
to the surface from as deep as 80 metres.
“Other species get a few tens of metres below the surface and sink like
stones,” says team leader Douglas Nowacek. But…
