A rare and mysterious visitor. Scientists from the Namibian Dolphin project spotted it for the first time south of the equator, precisely in Walvis Bay, Namibia. It is a rare specimen of gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), which wandered off the coast of Africa, that is, where it shouldn't have been.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
A rare and mysterious visitor. For the first time south of the equator, specifically in Walvis Bay, Namibia, scientists Namibian Dolphin project. It is a specimen of gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) that roamed off the coast of Africa, that is, where it shouldn't have been.
The presence of this majestic being, at least until the mid-XNUMXth century, was a common sight in both the Pacific North and the Atlantic, especially during the winter, when it swam along the coasts to the south. But what was a specimen of this species doing, which has now become rare due to man, south of the equator, where it hasn't been seen since the XNUMXth century?
According to scientists, one of the explanations could be that the rare cetacean it is regaining ancient migratory routes. Or, less optimistic hypothesis, it is starting to explore new places, because climate change is heating the oceans too much and displacing the ice. putting its food supply at risk in the northern ocean. If this were the case, the consequences for the entire life of the oceans would be difficult to predict.
In fact, the one spotted last May 10th it is not the only "out of place" gray whale. In May 2010 another specimen aroused the curiosity of biologists around the world, after it was sighted in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Israel. The photographs taken in Africa show, however, that it is not the same gray whale from 3 years ago. “He's another individual who crossed the Northwest Passage, or perhaps he traveled around the southern tip of South America and across the Atlantic. Unfortunately, we will never know the path he followed to get here ”, the scientists explain with fascination.
Roberta Ragni
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