'Spy' whales find mates in the wrong place

A beluga whale wearing a harness that could be used to attach a tracking device was searching for its mate but was swimming in the wrong direction.

A beluga whale suspected of being a Russian spy is on the move, possibly looking for a mate. But it appears to be swimming in the completely wrong direction, Live Science reported on May 31. Hvaldimir is a male beluga whale ( Delphinapterus leucas ) about 13 to 14 years old. Hvaldimir was first spotted in April 2019 in the frigid waters off Finnmark, northern Norway, wearing a harness marked “Equipment of St. Petersburg.” The harness was not part of any beluga whale research project and appeared to have room for a GoPro camera and other tracking equipment, although none were found at the time.

Hvaldimir showed no fear of humans, suggesting that he was cared for or at least trained by humans. This further fueled speculation that the whale was a spy. Russia has never officially commented on the allegations. The harness was removed when Hvaldimir was first discovered by authorities.

OneWhale, a Norwegian non-profit dedicated to protecting Hvaldimir, said that for the past three years he had spent most of his time in northern Norway. But on May 28, OneWhale spotted Hvladimir near Hunnebostrand, off the southwestern coast of Sweden, after he was seen swimming rapidly south. "We don't know exactly why he was accelerating so fast," said Sebastian Strand, a marine biologist at OneWhale. "It's possible that his hormones were urging him to find a mate." However, Hvaldimir's current route would soon take him far from his natural habitat.

Most male belugas reach sexual maturity at age 15, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). So Hvalidimir’s hormones may be prompting him to seek out a mate. But the lone whale could also be looking for other belugas, regardless of sex. Beluga whales are highly social. The team suspects Hvaldimir hasn’t interacted with members of his species since they began tracking him in 2019.

Whatever its motivation, Hvaldimir was swimming in the wrong direction. Beluga whales only live in the Arctic, in areas such as the Svalbard archipelago in Norway, Greenland, Canada and Russia. Experts are not sure why Hvaldimir was swimming in the wrong direction, but it is possible that he was released into Norwegian waters from Russia as part of a mission and was unfamiliar with the area. They also do not rule out the possibility that he spent so much time in captivity that his natural instincts were dulled.

So far, Hvaldimir appears to be in good health, hunting salmon near fish farms along the Norwegian-Swedish border. However, previous observations suggest he may be losing weight, and experts fear he will struggle to find enough food further south. OneWhale is seeking permission from Swedish authorities to capture Hvaldimir and transfer him to a fjord in Norway, where he will live out the rest of his life in peace.

This is not the first time Russia has been suspected of training marine mammals for military purposes. In April 2022, satellite images revealed that the country was training dolphins to guard one of its bases in Crimea. The US Navy has also trained whales and sea lions for military purposes since 1959.

An Khang (According to Live Science )

Source link