The expedition to study the population of bowhead whales in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk has ended

Specialists of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution named after A.N. Severtsov, Russian Academy of Sciences, together with the World Wildlife Fund, conducted a census of the bowhead whale population off the Shantar Islands. Scientists have added several new individuals to a special catalog. Their exact number is still unknown, but only in the first weeks of the expedition, more than 10 "newcomers" were included in the catalog.

Scientists managed to meet even a female with a cub. This fact can serve as one of the confirmations that after the birth of the whales, the females come precisely to the Shantar Islands. Previously, whales were seen only in Ulbansky Bay.

At the moment, it is not known how the migration routes go, along which females with cubs go to the "summer" to Shantar. Scientists expect to find out in future studies, as this information is critical for the conservation of the population.

The expedition lasted 72 days. In total, over 4,000 photographs of cetaceans, watercraft, fishing objects, discarded fishing gear, as well as 27 hours of filming from two drones were taken during this time.

Scientists also took 47 skin samples for subsequent genetic analysis, which will help determine the population size. Now specialists have a long and painstaking work on the processing and analysis of materials. The results will be ready in April.

During the expedition, for the first time, scientists observed a long-term killer whale hunt for a whale, which lasted about 50 minutes. Previously, these predators were limited to short chases. In the bays in the area of ​​the Shantar Islands, it is quite shallow, so it is not easy for killer whales to hunt in such conditions. It is assumed that this is why bowhead whales prefer to spend their summers in these places.

However, killer whales often bite whales and leave scars on their bodies. From these wound marks and skin coloration patterns, scientists identify each individual.

Scars appear on the skin of whales and from entanglement in nets. Most animals manage to get rid of the fetters on their own, however, in some cases, the ropes become firmly tangled on the tail and during movement are tightened so tightly that they can amputate part of the tail blade.