Whales in the Gulf of Thailand
I finally got to go whale watching in the Gulf of Thailand, something that I’ve wanted to do for years! 🐳🐳
Bryde’s Whales come to the northern Gulf of Thailand each year at around this time for additional feeding & the bearing of calves. Their numbers in Thailand have increased over the past several years as the ‘word has spread’ amongst the whale population that the food is plentiful, plus mothers keep returning to bear their young. This open whale buffet is actually caused by pollution, as 4 of Thailand’s major rivers flow into the northern Gulf, making it polluted from industrial runoff and inefficient sewage treatment, but also nutrient rich. Furthermore, there are areas of hypoxia (no oxygen), as well as less oxygen in the relatively shallow depths, bringing anchovies, krill and other food sources to the surface.
On this excellent Saturday, we saw at least five different whales, which is a decent number for a day of whale watching. If you look closely at the whales as they are ‘tread-water feeding’, a type of consumption unique to this species, you can see the anchovies collecting in their mouths, as well as the swarm of seabirds trying to pick away what fish they can as the whales reach the surface. It may look like they’re feeding on birds, but of course the birds are only there to scavenge the easy meal of fish that the whales scare up via underwater motion. A bird will occasionally get into the whales mouth by accident, at which time the whale opens its mouth to let it escape. The surface of the water is teeming with jumping anchovies due to the subsurface movements of the whales, making the the water look and sound as if it is getting bombarded with heavy rain drops.🐳
Read MoreBryde’s Whales come to the northern Gulf of Thailand each year at around this time for additional feeding & the bearing of calves. Their numbers in Thailand have increased over the past several years as the ‘word has spread’ amongst the whale population that the food is plentiful, plus mothers keep returning to bear their young. This open whale buffet is actually caused by pollution, as 4 of Thailand’s major rivers flow into the northern Gulf, making it polluted from industrial runoff and inefficient sewage treatment, but also nutrient rich. Furthermore, there are areas of hypoxia (no oxygen), as well as less oxygen in the relatively shallow depths, bringing anchovies, krill and other food sources to the surface.
On this excellent Saturday, we saw at least five different whales, which is a decent number for a day of whale watching. If you look closely at the whales as they are ‘tread-water feeding’, a type of consumption unique to this species, you can see the anchovies collecting in their mouths, as well as the swarm of seabirds trying to pick away what fish they can as the whales reach the surface. It may look like they’re feeding on birds, but of course the birds are only there to scavenge the easy meal of fish that the whales scare up via underwater motion. A bird will occasionally get into the whales mouth by accident, at which time the whale opens its mouth to let it escape. The surface of the water is teeming with jumping anchovies due to the subsurface movements of the whales, making the the water look and sound as if it is getting bombarded with heavy rain drops.🐳
