The Ukrainian Antarctic expedition encountered several pairs of resting humpback whales during a sea outing.
The National Antarctic Scientific Center reported this on Facebook, publishing a corresponding video, Ukrinform reports.
The whales were spotted near Peterman Island. Biologist Kyrylo Sulima used a crossbow and special arrows to collect skin and blubber samples from them, after which he continued his observations.
“At one point, several pairs disappeared, diving to depth. About 10 minutes of complete silence passed, and suddenly the whales appeared right next to us. It was astonishing and unexpected,” the scientist shared.
The whales arched their backs and loudly expelled jets of air and condensed water vapor through their blowholes on the tops of their heads.
“In reality, these sounds are much louder. Of course, it was a bit unsettling to have such a close encounter. But the humpbacks surfaced very cautiously, likely trying to avoid contact with the boat,” the biologist noted.
In addition to the whales, the researchers also captured an interesting meteorological phenomenon on video – a halo. It appears as a rainbow around the sun and occurs when a large number of ice crystals accumulate in the atmosphere.
Read also: Rotation of annual expeditions begins at Vernadsky Research Base
As reported by Ukrinform, in March, after the rotation of annual teams at the Akademik Vernadsky Station, the 31st Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition began fully operating.
Photo for illustration: NASC