Sperm whales that steal fish from fishers' lines have been caught red-handed in new underwater videos released this week.
A Video released this week shows sperm whales stealing fish from the fishers' lines, reports National Geographic.
At depths of 328 feet, the massive mammals were shown plucking the fishing line at one end to free the tasty black cod at the other end--like shaking apples from a tree, scientists say.
This behavior, captured by cameras attached to fishing gear, had never before been recorded.
That's because sperm whales--which have the biggest brains of any animal known to have lived on Earth--usually hunt at pitch-black depths of up to 6,500 feet, where audio and video technology are of little use.
According to Scientist Aaron Thode, the whales were able to to work the fish free from the hooks without getting injured--a sign of a learned behavior. The sperm whale, with its giant head, is not "built for fine maneuvering"--so its strategy of shaking the fish from the line is an "elegant solution," he added. You really should see the video. Seriously. It's like a minute and its wild.
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Comments (1)
Interesting behavior. Never... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Christina Viering | June 2, 2009 7:56 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Interesting behavior. Never would have thought a whale could shake a net, unless it was a Disney movie.
1. Posted by Christina Viering | June 2, 2009 7:56 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on June 2, 2009 07:56