Ocean scientists were able to have the most amazing experience of their lives when the magnificent 11-metre-long Sperm Whale came up in front of them while they were under the Gulf of Mexico, off the Louisiana coast. One of the crewmen asked “What is this?” “Yes!” Exploration vessel Nautilus crew was conducting a routine mission to measure natural methane levels and the hydrocarbon plumes within the ocean when they were approached by the huge creature. Crew members were capturing stunning footage from the magnificent creature after it circled their remotely-operated vehicle (ROV Hercules) several times. Crew believe that it was probably a young male. They said that encounters between sperm and ROVs were rare. This video has been viewed more than 1.5million times on Youtube and other social media sites. The footage shows the largest toothed predator in the world swimming around Hercules. He also circles the device several times. Evidently, sperm whales don’t have a hard time walking. It was able to get very close despite its enormous size. It has a great sense of hearing. Scientists believe that it was attracted to the small sounds produced by the equipment. Online, the crew answered a series of questions about whether it was male or female. After examining the footage, they believe it to be a male. They cannot be 100% certain, however, because the video of its underside is grainy. What size/age was it? According to scientists, the Hercules’ front is 6 feet in width. Using that guideline and the distance the creature was from the vehicle, the team estimated that it measured between 35 to 40 feet 6 and 12. 1 metres (length). The team consulted biologists and concluded that the animal may have been a juvenile. Although the sperm whale was very close to an ROV several times, it did not make contact with anything. Image: NautilusLive. How is it that the sperm whale didn’t knock into the ROV. Even though their torpedo-shaped bodies, sperm Whales can be surprisingly dexterous. They have been able to extract fish from long-line nets in Alaska by using their mouths. It is possible that the scarring was caused by something. There are many things that could have caused scarring, including suckers and squid tentacles. Scientists doubt that they were caused due to propellers, as a comment in the video indicates. They could have been caused because sperm whales can often jaw one another when playing or socializing, which is why they may be related to other whales. It was not an isolated incident. Generations of females are able to live in sperm whale societies for the rest of their lives. In their teens, males leave their family and go it alone. It would not have happened if it were a juvenile male or a female. Video of Rare Sperm Whale ROV Encounter
People and sperm whales meet 600m below Gulf of Mexico.
