The coronavirus pandemic may have been a terrible time for humans, but it was apparently a great time for another top mammal.
What's happening?
A study of migrating humpback whales found they were less stressed during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, as Phys.org relayed. Researchers detected lower levels of cortisol in 2021 than 2020.
"Previous studies have found similar changes to stress hormones in whales on the opposite side of the Antarctic continent — our findings support the idea that these changes occurred throughout the Southern Ocean," lead author Jake Linsky of the University of Queensland School of the Environment stated in a news release.
The scientists took photographs with drones and also samples of skin and blubber of eastern Australian humpback whales in the waters off Minjerribah as they migrated in 2020 and 2021.
Changes in their physiology indicated "a decline in environmental stressors," Linsky said, pointing to La Niña, less human activity, and fewer pollutants where they feed.
Why is this important?
Migratory whales are indicator species for the health of Antarctic ecosystems, according to the researchers.
The area is at risk of collapse because of humans' use of dirty energy sources, which combine to represent the main avoidable cause behind the rapid warming of the planet in recent decades. This has caused more intense extreme weather events and is threatening glaciers, ice sheets, and ice shelves as well as wildlife around the continent.
The iconic whales — the population studied has already made a strong comeback from historical whaling — migrate 10,000 kilometers (about 6,213 miles) every year, and they grow to 16 meters (about 52.5 feet). Overhunting in the mid-20th century led to the collapse of Australia's east coast whaling industry. The humpbacks numbered around 100 in 1963 but have since recovered to about 8,000.
What's being done to protect humpback whales?
After public sentiment turned against whaling in the 1960s and '70s, the country enacted laws to protect whales and other marine mammals. Linsky said the study "emphasizes the importance of mitigating human impacts" to reduce the stress the whales are under, especially since the oceans are changing so rapidly.
"By continuing to monitor and protect humpback whales off Australia's east coast, we can ensure their health and stability while also offering valuable insights into how other struggling whale populations might be conserved," he said.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
