Whales entangled in deep sea cables
Fourteen instances of whales entangled in submarine cables are reported. Ten entanglements occured off the Pacific coast of Central and South America. Six cases occured in about 500 fathoms, with 620 fathoms the maximum depth reported. Five entanglements occured in the period, Februray-March-April....
Published in: | Deep Sea Research (1953) |
---|---|
Main Author: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Elsevier
1957
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/50857/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/50857/1/3000.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/0146-6313(56)90040-5 |
id |
ftoceanrep:oai:oceanrep.geomar.de:50857 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftoceanrep:oai:oceanrep.geomar.de:50857 2023-05-15T18:26:45+02:00 Whales entangled in deep sea cables Heezen, Bruce C. 1957 text https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/50857/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/50857/1/3000.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/0146-6313(56)90040-5 en eng Elsevier https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/50857/1/3000.pdf Heezen, B. C. (1957) Whales entangled in deep sea cables . Open Access Deep-Sea Research, 4 . pp. 105-115. DOI 10.1016/0146-6313(56)90040-5 <https://doi.org/10.1016/0146-6313%2856%2990040-5>. doi:10.1016/0146-6313(56)90040-5 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Article PeerReviewed 1957 ftoceanrep https://doi.org/10.1016/0146-6313(56)90040-5 2023-04-07T15:52:38Z Fourteen instances of whales entangled in submarine cables are reported. Ten entanglements occured off the Pacific coast of Central and South America. Six cases occured in about 500 fathoms, with 620 fathoms the maximum depth reported. Five entanglements occured in the period, Februray-March-April. All whales positively identified were sperm whales. The submarine cable was generally wrapped around jaw and often around the flukes and fins. The cable was rarely broken but always badly mauled. The entanglements often occured near former repairs where there is a chance for extra slack cable on the bottom. Two photographs of a sperm whale entangled in a cable and one photograph of a whale-jaw entangled in a cable are presented. It is concluded that sperm whales often swim alog the sea floor in depths as grat as 620 fathoms. It is suggested that the whales become entangled while swimming along with their jaw plowing through the sediment in search of food. It is possible that the whales attack tangled masses of slack cable mistaking them for items of food. Article in Journal/Newspaper Sperm whale OceanRep (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre für Ocean Research Kiel) Pacific Deep Sea Research (1953) 4 105 115 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
OceanRep (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre für Ocean Research Kiel) |
op_collection_id |
ftoceanrep |
language |
English |
description |
Fourteen instances of whales entangled in submarine cables are reported. Ten entanglements occured off the Pacific coast of Central and South America. Six cases occured in about 500 fathoms, with 620 fathoms the maximum depth reported. Five entanglements occured in the period, Februray-March-April. All whales positively identified were sperm whales. The submarine cable was generally wrapped around jaw and often around the flukes and fins. The cable was rarely broken but always badly mauled. The entanglements often occured near former repairs where there is a chance for extra slack cable on the bottom. Two photographs of a sperm whale entangled in a cable and one photograph of a whale-jaw entangled in a cable are presented. It is concluded that sperm whales often swim alog the sea floor in depths as grat as 620 fathoms. It is suggested that the whales become entangled while swimming along with their jaw plowing through the sediment in search of food. It is possible that the whales attack tangled masses of slack cable mistaking them for items of food. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Heezen, Bruce C. |
spellingShingle |
Heezen, Bruce C. Whales entangled in deep sea cables |
author_facet |
Heezen, Bruce C. |
author_sort |
Heezen, Bruce C. |
title |
Whales entangled in deep sea cables |
title_short |
Whales entangled in deep sea cables |
title_full |
Whales entangled in deep sea cables |
title_fullStr |
Whales entangled in deep sea cables |
title_full_unstemmed |
Whales entangled in deep sea cables |
title_sort |
whales entangled in deep sea cables |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
1957 |
url |
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/50857/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/50857/1/3000.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/0146-6313(56)90040-5 |
geographic |
Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Pacific |
genre |
Sperm whale |
genre_facet |
Sperm whale |
op_relation |
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/50857/1/3000.pdf Heezen, B. C. (1957) Whales entangled in deep sea cables . Open Access Deep-Sea Research, 4 . pp. 105-115. DOI 10.1016/0146-6313(56)90040-5 <https://doi.org/10.1016/0146-6313%2856%2990040-5>. doi:10.1016/0146-6313(56)90040-5 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/0146-6313(56)90040-5 |
container_title |
Deep Sea Research (1953) |
container_volume |
4 |
container_start_page |
105 |
op_container_end_page |
115 |
_version_ |
1766208716600770560 |