This rare whale has never been captured on film — until now
Once again, we have positively fascinating news straight from the depths of the ocean. As Time reports, the first ever video footage of the True’s beaked whale was recently released, and we’re super excited to bear witness to this unprecedented event.
Lately, we’ve heard about quite a few people being photobombed by whales, but that’s not likely to happen with these beaked marine creatures.
Apparently, members of the rare whale species spend most of their time deep in the ocean — more than 90 percent — which is probably why they’ve only been spotted alive by very few people to date.
In the case of this new footage, researchers working near the Azores Islands are responsible for capturing the 46-second clip that shows a small pod of the whales swimming just beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km5hiC2bESA?feature=oembed
The name for the aquatic mammals is related to their beaks, which they use to consume crustaceans, fish and squid. According to Gizmodo, True’s beaked whales feed up to depths of 9,800 feet and have the ability to remain underwater for up to two hours.
Based on some of the scariness contained in the recordings from the Marianas Trench (aka, the deepest part of the ocean), we’re going to assume that at least some of that undersea ruckus is attributed to these elusive creatures.
Not much is known about True’s beaked whales. Scientists have had limited opportunities to study them while they’re alive, but we’re hoping that this footage leads to more expansive knowledge, and of course, more whale sightings in the near future.