Nature
PUBLISHED
Aerial drones seem to be whales' new best friend, with a new video popping up every week. Nonetheless, this one is particularly special.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.Late last month, a lucky group of sailors were treated to their own private “water ballet” performance by three humpback whales, while drones.nc filmed the whole show from above. Wam Wamland explains in the YouTube description that the whales headed straight towards them after they spotted the boat from the distance. They swam around the boat for 15 minutes, before drifting off back into the deep blue sea around New Caledonia in the South Pacific Ocean
Although getting circled by three 15-meter (50 foot) humpback whales may be pretty intimidating, they’re totally harmless creatures, with a diet mainly consisting of krill and small fish. They’re also well known for their intelligence and peaceful whale songs.
This species has also enjoyed some very happy news recently. It was announced on Tuesday that nine of the 14 distinct populations of humpback whales are no longer on the Endangered Species List.
