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Narwhals caught on camera colliding with deep ocean monitors
Narwhals interacted with underwater acoustic devices up to 613 times during a two-month period, possibly mistaking them for prey or using them for rubbing, researchers said.
- Between August 2022 and May 2024, researchers recorded 247 incidents of narwhals repeatedly hitting deep-sea hydrophones in Inglefield Bredning Fjord during over 4,000 hours of audio.
- Researchers suggest narwhals may be mistaking moorings for prey like cod, based on stomach analyses showing cod and stones in 16 narwhals.
- Researchers and local Inughuit hunters deployed three acoustic recording devices at depths from 190 metres to 400 metres, capturing echolocation clicks, foraging buzzes and rubbing sounds.
- Researchers warn passive acoustic monitoring may not be as non-invasive as assumed and recommend short mooring lines to minimise inadvertent effects.
- The study led by Associate Professor Evgeny Podolskiy of Hokkaido University and colleagues from the National Institute of Polar Research, published in Communications Biology, recorded 'hundreds' of incidents and observed rubbing linked to possible moulting, while Inughuit hunters noted familiarity with narwhal entanglement in gear.
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Narwhals caught on camera colliding with deep ocean monitors
The narwhals may be mistaking the recording equipment for cod they love to feed on, say scientists.
·Missoula, United States
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Leaning Left0Leaning Right2Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution75% Center
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- 75% of the sources are Center
75% Center
C 75%
R 25%
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