Why Whales Fear Gulls
A gull can make a whale's next breath costly. Off Argentina's Peninsula Valdes, kelp gulls land on southern right whales as they surface and peck at exposed skin and blubber. The whales cannot simply stay underwater: respiration brings them back within reach, breath after breath. Size offers little protection here.Calves bear a disproportionate burden. They spend more time at the surface than adul...More
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