Here's a drone's-eye view of killer whales
Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Fisheries department, along with the Vancouver Aquarium, used drones to take photographs of killer whales, and the images are incredible.
The researchers used a remote-controlled hexacopter, complete with a hi-res camera, to observe the whales along the coast of British Columbia in August. The drone observed Northern Resident killer whales, which are listed in Canada's Species at Risk Act. Overfishing and climate change have left many of the Northern Resident killer whales without enough food, specifically salmon, to survive.
The scientists decided that the best way to keep track of the whales' weight, as well as details on their "health and reproduction," was to observe them with drones, the NOAA reports. The drones allow the scientists to see which whales are pregnant and how many of those pregnancies are carried to term, as well as "how fat or skinny individual whales are." --Meghan DeMaria
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
‘These wouldn’t be playgrounds for billionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The 5 best nuclear war movies of all time‘A House of Dynamite’ reanimates a dormant cinematic genre for our new age of atomic insecurity
-
Should the US resume nuclear testing?Talking Points Trump vows to restart testing, but China might benefit most
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
