The researchers did not expect the sea giants to ever return to the waters off the Seychelles after the mass killing by whalers, but it happened.
The Seychelles is a dream destination for many, but it is unlikely that this includes the largest animals on Earth – blue whales. At the beginning of the 20th century, these waters were an extremely popular whale hunting destination, causing marine mammals to abandon it. It seems that they have finally returned, IFLScience writes.
Luckily for the whales, the Republic of Seychelles successfully lobbied to protect the Indian Ocean from whaling as early as 1978, but until now it was not known whether the largest animals on Earth, blue whales, had returned to the area. Scientists have now officially confirmed that the whales have returned to the shores of the Seychelles.
A team of researchers from Florida International University, Oregon State University, and the University of the Seychelles investigated the area of the ocean where whales were spotted in October 2017. For two seasons, in November 2020 and 2021, the scientists used visual observations as well as acoustic recorders installed by divers.
Photo: Big Blue Films
In total, during this period, the team managed to record 23 different species of whales, including blue whales, namely dwarf blue whales, one of the four species known to science. According to the study’s co-author, Dr. Jeremy Gut, a professor of biology at Florida International University, it is surprising that despite whaling, the largest animals on Earth are once again living off the Seychelles.
According to Dillis Pupono, a researcher at the SOSF D’Arros Research Center, the appearance of sea giants off the Seychelles also proves that the rules introduced in 1978 have indeed helped to preserve the species and restore their lost habitat.
Scientists were also able to determine which population the blue whales that appeared near the Seychelles belong to – they came from the northern Indian Ocean. The team found that the whales tend to spend March and April in this region, and possibly even breed here. According to one of the study’s lead authors, Dr. Kate Stafford, all of this proves that the Seychelles is likely to be an extremely important place for blue whales.
Photo: Save Our Seas Foundation
During the study, scientists also recorded the songs of male blue whales, and therefore assume that the waters off the Seychelles are used by the largest animals on Earth to find mates and reproduce.
Statistics show that as a result of whaling in the 1960s, about 500 blue whales were killed off the Seychelles in total, and about 12,000 more dwarf blue whales were taken from the Indian Ocean in general.
