Oil spills and sperm whales

Show 25 25 50 All. Like other whale species, sperm whales play a very important role in the health of marine ecosystems by maintaining a stable food chain and ensuring that certain animal species do not overpopulate the ocean. Continue Reading. Can oil take down an animal that grows up to 52 feet long and weighs more than 90, pounds? There is a growing number of acoustic surveys of marine mammals and even other marine organisms underway, said marine scientist Dave Mellinger of Oregon State University. Low frequency sound takes less energy to create and to keep moving. One of the biggest threats to whales, dolphins and porpoises as well as other marine life, is the huge amount of plastic that enters the oceans each year.

By Justin Nobel June 01, Overall, very little is known about the population. One is that poisonous hydrocarbon vapors evaporating from the slick were inhaled by whales surfacing to breathe. The study examined two pods of killer whales in Alaska, both before and after the Exxon Valdez spill. A count estimated there were 1, sperm whales in the northern Gulf of Mexico. In one stunning photo, four members of one of the pods examined were photographed directly astern of the grounded tanker, less than 24 hours after the accident.

The plight of wildlife caught up in the oil spill — especially endangered species such as sea turtles and sperm whales — has enormous financial implications for BP. See pictures of the oil seeping into Louisiana marshes. Topics Oil spills. The study examined two pods of killer whales in Alaska, both before and after the Exxon Valdez spill. The whales would not necessarily have died from the vapors themselves, but could have lost consciousness and drowned.