The Mystery of Continuous Bleaching
On the evening of the second week, the whales suddenly began pounding the surface of the water violently with their fins. The sound echoed as far as 1 km away. Marcus measured 12 consecutive breaching sessions at approximately the same interval. This was not random behavior; it was clearly a deliberate rhythm. Emily thought as she repeatedly checked the video. Was the whale trying to communicate something to someone? And that “someone” could be Emily and the others on this boat?
Abdominal changes
The following week, Emily noticed that the whales were swimming a little slower. Normally they swam gracefully at the speed of the boat, but today they tended to lag behind a bit. Checking the drone footage, her abdomen appeared to be slightly fuller than usual. The underwater footage also showed a subtle change in body shape. Marcus examined the data and said, “Maybe this is a pregnancy. Is it possible that she is pregnant? If so, why wouldn’t she leave the boat at this time before giving birth?”
Expert Opinion
Emily sent the video to the Marine Mammal Center in San Francisco and asked the director, Dr. William Chen, for his opinion. The shape of the abdomen suggests the whale is in the late stages of pregnancy. Humpback whales have a habit of seeking safe havens before giving birth. The ship may be a safe haven in her eyes. Emily read the email over for a long time.
return-to-port orders
That evening, Marcus showed Emily an email forwarded to him from the institute. The director of the institute had instructed the team to return to the port in four days as scheduled. The director had instructed us to return to the port in four days as scheduled. Emily pondered as she watched the sunset. Should she leave without solving the mystery of the whale? But how could she keep her distance from the whales when they were approaching the ship on their own? If we return to port, will we leave this whale here, which may be on the verge of giving birth?
Night Watch
Captain Holloway had increased the night watch. This was to make sure the whales stayed with the ship at night. At 11:00 p.m., the crew member in charge of the lookout reported that the whale was 3 meters to the port side of the ship, leaning slowly, as if asleep. The whale was 3 meters off the port side of the ship, slowly leaning over and floating as if asleep. There were few records of whales sleeping near human vessels. However, for this whale, the ship may have been a safe place to sleep.
Discovery of old photos
While Emily was sorting through the ship’s archives, she found a faded envelope from the back of a shelf. Inside were three color photographs of a scene from 15 years ago, when they were rescuing a calf entangled in a rope. The date and coordinates were handwritten in the corner of each photo. And the third photo showed an adult whale that appeared to be watching from a distance. The placement of the scars on its back was very similar to that of the current whale. What could this mean?
Attempts to collect DNA
Emily decided to take a skin sample from the whale. Using a special instrument called a biopsy dart, a small amount of tissue can be extracted with very little pain to the whale. Marcus worked carefully and succeeded on the first attempt. The whale looked momentarily startled, but quickly returned to the side of the boat. We packed the samples with dry ice and sent them to a genetic analysis laboratory in Hawaii. The results would arrive a week later.
Comparison with other vessels
During the survey, we received a radio call from the captain of a sightseeing boat that was sailing 30 km away. The captain of a sightseeing boat, sailing 30 km away, radioed to ask if the whales were coming this way. Emily observed the whale’s movements. When the sightseeing boat approached, the whale did not head in that direction, but always returned to the side of the Ocean Dawn. A check of the records showed that the whale had never approached another vessel. Why does this whale continue to choose only this ship?
Match with Mother’s Voice
Leah thoroughly researched the Monterey Bay whale audio database for the past five years. A few hours later, Leah quietly raised her voice. The specific syllable pattern produced by the current whale matched perfectly with the voice of another individual recorded 10 years earlier. When we tracked down that 10-year-old individual, we were able to confirm that it was the same “mother whale” that appeared in the rescue record 15 years ago. In other words, the possibility emerged that the current whale was the “daughter” of the mother whale that gave birth to the calf rescued by the captains.
Researcher’s conflict
Emily went out on deck without dinner, staring out into the dark ocean, the DNA results not yet received. There are only two days left before we return to port. As a scientist, I am not allowed to write a paper without proof, but that doesn’t mean I can continue to stay here without permission. Emily is stuck between the regulations of the institute and the reality in front of her. The whales were floating quietly by the side of the ship today. Is there an answer to this question of whether science or emotion is right?
