Understanding Whale Behaviors Through Science Research

(Hawaii News Now) - Being lucky enough to live in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, we are also lucky to be surrounded be thousands of species of marine life, including whales.  While we can catch glimpses of humpback whales as they migrate through Hawaiian waters during the winter months, there are many other species of whales that we don't have much information on.

There is currently a partnership between Schmidt Ocean Institute and the University of Hawaii that will enable over 100 days at sea over the next 6 months to address a range of topics, including investigating whale feeding behavior, creation of maps of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and probing the complex community of microbes around Loihi (the emerging seamount south of the Big Island)

The focus of this (first student-led) cruise will include feeding behaviors of deep-diving toothed species found in Hawaiian waters—beaked, short-finned pilot, and endangered sperm whales.

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