Exclusive: Rare, Mysterious Whales Filmed Professionally for the First Time

[Judi Lynn]

Photographer Patrick Dykstra came across the rare species when he was shooting footage of sperm whales in the Caribbean Sea.

By Elaina Zachos
PUBLISHED MARCH 9, 2018

Gervais' beaked whales are easily one of the most elusive mammals to swim through our oceans. Most of the information we have about them comes from studies of corpses that have washed ashore, and the first live whale was only spotted about 20 years ago.

On February 27, photographer and videographer Patrick Dykstra captured what may be the first drone or aerial footage of Gervais' beaked whales. He was filming about three miles off the west coast of Dominica in the Caribbean Sea. Dykstra and his Picture Adventure Expeditions team accidentally came across the rare beaked whales when they were filming sperm whales for an upcoming production.

Autopsies from Gervais' beaked whale corpses tell us that the animals eat cephalopods, so Dykstra says the whales were probably drawn to squid that the sperm whales in the area were feeding on.

"We thought we saw dolphins at first," Dykstra says. "[Gervais' beaked whales are] certainly not something you expect to see. There's been less than 10 live sightings anywhere in the world, ever."

More:
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/03/beaked-whale-drone-photography-first-spd/