Unusual pod of sea creatures make ‘incredible’ visit to Iceland harbor. See the video
A huge group of sea creatures was spotted close to shore in Iceland — for the fourth year in a row.
Long-finned pilot whales made their return to the Akureyri harbor as of Aug. 31, according to a Facebook post from Whale Watching Akureyri.
“This is another year that we are observing this species coming so close to our town and it’s incredible news for a lot of reasons — we can confirm now that there is at least one newborn in the pod and this is the third time we’ve been observing this species staying in the fjord with the juveniles,” the post said.
The creatures have visited the harbor accompanied by newborn calves every summer since 2019, Ania Wojcik, the head of Whale Watching Akureyri’s research team, told McClatchy News in an email. This year’s pod is unusually large, she said.
“What’s interesting is also that it is a much bigger pod than we usually see, last year we saw two pods of about 9-12 and 12-15 individuals,” Wojcik said. “This pod is surely over 50 individuals but we are still gathering footage to make a better estimation.”
Experts have also noted how the pods bring their young calves into the harbor, according to Wojcik.
“The calves we’ve seen must have been either born inside the fjord or on the way here which could explain why the pod would stay in the area with not much boat traffic, calmer seas (fjord), and no predators,” she said. “It is a fascinating insight for us to follow as at least I am not aware of a record of that species returning to the same area to give birth anywhere else in Iceland.”
Long-finned pilot whales are found in the North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere, and they prefer deep temperate to subpolar waters, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Researchers are unsure why the creatures abandon their preference for deep seas to spend time in the shallow waters near shore in Akureyri, but Wojcik said they have some ideas.
“One theory is that they can get lost if they are exposed to strong sonar signals (they are very sound sensitive), or they might be avoiding predators or other threats,” she told McClatchy News. “Another theory is that they might be simply seeking calm & sheltered waters and we think this is most likely the case in our area as we spotted very young individuals among the pod.”
As of Sept. 1, the huge pod of pilot whales was still in the harbor, according to a Facebook post from Whale Watching Akureyri.
“We are excited to see how long they will stay,” the post said. “It is a fascinating insight for us to follow, as this species is not typically seen staying in shallow waters. If you happen to be in Akureyri — be on the lookout!”
Akureyri is northern Iceland, about 150 miles northeast of Reykjavík.
This story was originally published September 1, 2023 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Unusual pod of sea creatures make ‘incredible’ visit to Iceland harbor. See the video."
