Coming to Gia Lai beach, watching the ocean's 'giants' hunting for prey

(VTC News) - Whales - the "giant" of the ocean has returned to the waters of Gia Lai (formerly Binh Dinh), bringing with them spectacular hunting performances that delight locals and tourists.

Close-up of whales hunting in Vung Boi sea, Gia Lai .

After many days, VTC News reporters recorded images of a mother and baby whale hunting in the sea of ​​Vung Boi, An Luong commune, Gia Lai province (My Thanh commune, Phu My district, former Binh Dinh province).

Gia Lai province has a coastline of more than 130 km and a diverse and rich ecosystem, so in recent times, Lien Luc has become an ideal destination for whales.

The Center for Biodiversity Conservation and Endangered Species (CBES) coordinated with the former Binh Dinh Fisheries Department to survey and determine that the species of fish that appears in this sea area is the Bryde's whale, scientific name Balaenoptera edeni.

Bryde's whales are also large, but they have a slim body and excellent swimming speed to chase their prey. Each hunt is a dance under the ocean, a display of intelligence and strength.

Unlike other whale species, Bryde’s whales prefer to hunt alone or in small family groups. They use their speed to chase small fish that usually travel in schools, plankton, as well as small crustaceans and squid. When approaching prey, they will suddenly accelerate, opening their mouths very wide to swallow a large amount of seawater along with the prey.

The system of folds on the whale's belly allows them to expand their mouths incredibly wide, allowing them to hold huge amounts of water and food. The water is then pushed out of the mouth through the baleen plates, trapping the food inside.

The hunts demonstrate the intelligence, coordination and strength of Bryde's whales as they hunt prey in the marine food chain.

Whales often appear in Gia Lai waters during the fish season (from April to July), they follow schools of fish to hunt.

The frequent appearance of whale pods offers great potential for ecotourism development, attracting nature lovers and those wishing to learn about marine life.

In just the past month, there have been 5 times when locals and tourists have been lucky enough to record images of whales hunting in sea areas such as Vung Boi, Tan Phung, De Gi, Nhon Ly... This is a result that demonstrates the efforts to preserve the marine environment along with controlling destructive forms of exploitation and local seafood resources.

According to the Center for Biodiversity Conservation and Endangered Species (CBES), the Bryde's whale, scientifically named Balaenoptera edeni, is listed in Appendix 1 of the CITES Convention prohibiting international trade and transport; the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals CMS; at the VU level (at risk) according to Decision 82/2008 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) on the announcement of the List of rare aquatic species at risk of extinction in Vietnam that need to be protected, restored and developed.

This is a marine mammal belonging to the toothed whale family (Balaenopteridae), the most prominent feature that can distinguish Bryde's whale from other whales is the "three ridges" on the top of their head, in front of their breathing hole.

Adult Bryde's whales are relatively large, measuring 11 to 15.5 metres in length and can weigh 12 to 20 tonnes. Meanwhile, newborn whales are only 3 to 5 metres long and weigh 1 to 2 tonnes.

Although Bryde's whales are naturally docile, they still have a certain self-defense instinct if provoked or attacked. In female whales with young calves, the self-defense instinct is even stronger.

Small canoes or tourists paddling inflatable boats or free diving too close to the mother whale can trigger the mother whale's self-defense instinct, endangering visitors. Or ships and passenger vehicles approaching too close to the whale (e.g. closer than 20 m) can cause the mother whale and her calf to become stressed.

It is recommended that boats and whale-watching tourism services maintain a minimum safe distance of 100 m to avoid harming the whales. At the same time, boats moving in whale hunting areas should pay close attention to avoid hitting or colliding with whales.

Vtcnews.vn

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/ve-bien-gia-lai-ngam-nhung-ga-khong-lo-cua-dai-duong-san-moi-ar951981.html