Wednesday, 3 July 2013

Whale of a Time?

News that scientists have now demonstrated that a number of whale species are exquisitely sensitive to the frequencies of anti-submarine sonar used by the US Navy in exercises and cease feeding (this, alone, can endanger the viability of these animals) before fleeing (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jul/03/whales-flee-military-sonar-strandings?INTCMP=SRCH) is hardly unexpected. The fact that this flight response may be linked to mass strandings of these mammals is, however, new. I wonder also about the likely effects on dolphins and porpoises of  attempts to obtain gas by drilling into the deposits in rocks just off shore in a number of locations (including Swansea Bay?).
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