odd odd behaviour
Seagulls Attacking Whales Off Argentina
Kelly Hearn in Buenos Aires for National Geographic News
December 4, 2006
In the frigid waters off Argentina's southern Valdés Peninsula, the southern right whale is under attack from an odd-sounding predator: the seemingly docile seagull.
Uncovered garbage dumps and waste from fish-processing operations have fueled a spike in the number of kelp gulls in the region's coastal towns (Argentina map).
Experts say the birds, which nest near the prime breeding waters for the endangered whales, are causing a peck of problems.
"The gulls are landing on the whales and pecking through their skin to feed on the blubber, which is an important source of calories," says biologist Marcelo Bertellotti of Argentina's Patagonia University.
"This is causing lesions and impacting whale behavior." The kelp gull is a flexible eater that hunts insects and scavenges through trash heaps. .........
A female southern right whale swims near the coast of South Africa with her calf. Biologists in Argentina report that right whales there are coming under increased attacks from hungry kelp gulls pecking at the mammals' skin and blubber. Mothers and calves are particularly vulnerable to the attacks, because they spend more time at the surface, the scientists say.Photograph by Bobby Haas/NGS
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