Sperm whale materializes in the camera lights; video screen grab
The ROV Hercules has captured footage of all sorts of interesting creatures as it probes the darkest depths of the Gulf of Mexico, from various types of squid and octopi, to alien-like organisms and intricate corals.
But on Tuesday the crew that monitors the remotely operated vehicle’s cameras from aboard the EV Nautilus watched in awe as a large sperm whale investigated the vessel for nearly four minutes.
“What the heck is that?” says one of the crew, when all of a sudden a massive object begins to appear on the screen.”Hello baby,” says another.
The surprise encounter occurred off Louisiana at a depth of nearly 2,000 feet. Footage shows the curious leviathan materializing in and out of the camera lights, at times spinning and looking directly into the camera.”You can see its eye,” one of the crew says.
The encounter is so rare and unexpected that the crew becomes giddy, joking that the scars on the whale might have been caused by the legendary sea monster known as the Kraken, and that it looks fake because at times it’s hardly moving.
Sperm whale swims downward; video screen grab
Sperm whale passes through the ROV Hercules camera lights; video screen grab
The footage reveals the curious nature of an iconic species of toothed whale that is known to dive deeply into the abyss in search of its favorite prey, the giant squid.
Sperm whales can dive to nearly 10,000 feet and remain underwater for up to 90 minutes, so investigating the ROV Hercules must have seemed only a brief interruption of this particular whale’s ordinary routine.
Perhaps it was considering the vessel as possible prey, or it was simply intrigued by the camera lights.
Whatever the case may be, one of the crew members on camera watch stated the obvious when he said, “I think we beat the other watch today.”
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