In Search of Giants

Greetings bloggers!

I wanted to announce my absence, much unlike my very hectic departure to Romania.  The author is currently in the Gulf of Mexico from July 5-22 to work on sperm whale surveys in the Gulf of Mexico.  This work is with the Marine Mammal Institute of Oregon State University, my place of employment.  We'll be looking at animal movement and behavior as a follow up to the Deepwater Horizon Oilspill.

Sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus

Sperm whales are incredible divers (they can dive for up to an hour at a time) and the largest toothed predator to ever have lived. They extensively follow their prey source- pelagic fish. After the Deepwater Horizon disaster of 2010, surveys of sperm whales suggested that they may have dispersed from their normal habitat in the Gulf of Mexico as prey sources were depleted.  We are now returning to gain more tracking and visual observation data on these amazing animals. 

Hopefully we can find out more about these amazing creatures! 

Don't despair in the meantime... I have scheduled several posts to go out in my absence, however I may be delayed in relating real-time news and findings for these 2 weeks.

Ciao!