‘Rare’ sea creatures with ‘remarkable’ diving abilities seen off Antarctica, study says

While surveying remote seascapes off the coast of Antarctica, an international team of researchers stumbled upon something unusual.

They spotted several Arnoux’s beaked whales, a rare species renowned for its “remarkable” diving abilities.

The whales, which can measure up to around 30 feet long, are considered poorly studied.

The sightings shed light on the mysterious creatures, which appear to live throughout the waters off Antarctica year-round, according to a study published on July 13 in the journal Marine Mammal Science.

The whales — distinguished by their dark bodies and “dolphin-esque” appearance — were observed during a 2022 expedition in the Weddell Sea surveying top predators in the area.

By helicopter, researchers located and photographed three groups of several animals swimming near sea ice.

“In all three groups, the animals were quietly logging or slowly swimming in parallel position at or just below the surface, sometimes diving under ice,” according to researchers affiliated with Dutch, German and Australian research institutions.

These were the first sightings by the researchers in decades. In eleven previous expeditions carried out between 1988 and 2018, the whales had not been detected.

However, the recent sightings led to the discovery of dozens of previously unpublished observations of the whales in the area — including some from the internet — suggesting they may be more prevalent than once thought.

It’s likely that researchers failed to detect the whales for so long on account of their lengthy dives, which can last for over an hour.

“The chances of being detected from moving platforms like ships and especially airplanes or helicopters are affected by the exceptional dive capacities of Arnoux’s beaked whales,” researchers said, adding they can be “easily missed.”

The study indicates the whales have a “year-round circum-Antarctic distribution,” and are typically found in shallow, icy areas.

The research team included Bram Feij, Susanne Kühn, André Meijboom, Jan A. van Franeker, Horst Bornemann, Nat Kelly and Fokje L. Schaafsma.

This story was originally published August 29, 2024 at 6:36 AM with the headline "‘Rare’ sea creatures with ‘remarkable’ diving abilities seen off Antarctica, study says."