Published 14:11 IST, November 19th 2019
Blue whale paints sea yellow while pooping off Australian coast
The largest creature on the planet, the blue whale was caught on camera leaving a semi-liquid fluid-like substance behind its trail as it pooed off the coast.
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The largest creature on the planet, a blue whale was caught on camera leaving a semi-liquid fluid-like substance behind its trail as it pooed off the coast of Australia. According to the reports, the blue whale was migrating south from the western Australian coastline when a team of experts identified the mammal defecating. Ian Wiese, a landscape photographer who was also stationed at the Point Picquet, south of Perth photographed the whale. Wiese said that the whole team had taken necessary permissions from the authorities to use a drone to capture the footage. The photographer added that whale excreta is normally pinkish-red in colour and said that he has never heard or seen any such colour.
Whale movement captured by team
The entire movement of the whale was captured by a whale monitoring team, made up of volunteers and experts who record the mammals as they head to cooler waters. Wiese said that they have been given permission to fly drones within the 200-metre exclusion zone surrounding whales to verify the numbers and observe the behaviour. Weise said that the whale must have eaten within the previous 24 hours. He further added that the whale would have found krill, a small shrimplike planktonic crustacean eaten by a number of larger animals somewhere off Perth as it swam from Indonesia to the Victorian and South Australian border.
Poo plays key role for marine life
Wiese further added that these are the critically endangered species and it is very important to have their footage to understand their life. The researchers said that the sight is very unusual and certainly stands out. Curt Jenner of the West Australian Centre for Whale Research said that blue whales can produce up to 200 litres of excreta with each bowel movement. He further said that their poo is rich in nutrients which plays a key role in the ocean environment. It creates pastures for small fish and krill to feed. It also helps to create algae that are the primary source for all marine life.The netizens reacted on the internet when they came across the video.
13:43 IST, November 19th 2019