Sea creature spotted off southeast Alaska coast for first time. See rare sight
In March 2024, the first sighting of a bowhead whale in southeast Alaska was recorded off the coast of Sitka Sound, according to a July 16 news release by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.
'This sighting is important because it is a first for a pretty big region,' Ellen Chenoweth, lead author on the study from the University of Alaska Fairbanks said in the release. 'This is the first documented sighting of a bowhead whale in Southeast Alaska. It's not the furthest south they have been seen, but it's very notable because of how far it is from its typical range. It raises a lot of questions about what was going on with this animal that we can't answer.'
The group of scientists were on a 25-foot motorboat when they came across humpback whales they wanted to photograph, as they were seen 'bubble-net feeding in the area,' the release said.
After spotting gray whales feeding near the shore, the group spotted another whale, but 'it didn't appear to be a humpback,' researchers said.
The 'small' whale with a 'distinct arch' was spotted submerging, and the crew placed a hydrophone underwater to capture the whale's vocalizations, the group said.They didn't hear anything, however.
The whale had 'unusual behavior,' and the group only saw its head and jaw as it came up for air, researchers said.
Groups didn't record any feeding behavior and saw that the whale didn't have a dorsal fin, the group said.
'Outreach is important so that people know what to look for, like the bowhead's unusual head and lack of dorsal fin,' Kim Shelden, marine biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Marine Mammal Laboratory, said in the release. 'To identify a bowhead whale, look for distinctive features such as: no dorsal fin; a narrow, arched upper jaw; paddle-shaped pectoral flippers; a black body; white chin patches; and some white coloring on the peduncle (the muscular area where the tail connects to the body).'
Bowhead whales are usually found in Arctic and subarctic waters, researchers said. They have 'evolved to survive in ice-covered waters' and use their blowholes as a way to 'break through heavy ice to form breathing holes.'
Scientists believe that due to the changes in the Arctic's ecosystem, more of these types of sightings will take place. But because researchers lack additional sightings, the 'origins and health condition of this specific whale will remain unknown,' the group said.
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