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Big Gulp

In 2013 New England Aquarium whale researcher and WHOI guest investigator Salvatore Cerchio and his colleagues discovered some of the world’s rarest whales living off Madagascar. Omura’s whales, recognized as a species in 2003, were only known from remains and bones, with no confirmed live sightings. Cerchio and his team returned to Madagascar in 2014 and 2015 to study the whales and record their calls and feeding behavior. When feeding, these slim whales expand their throats to engulf large volumes of water and krill. Research permit: Madagascar Ministere de l’Enseignement Superieur et de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National de Recherches Oceanographiques, Ordre de Mission No. 13-15/CNRO. (Photo by Salvatore Cerchio, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)