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Giant whale swims close to boat just to 'ask' man to pet her
The had to blink a few times to make sure it was really happening.
Ashley Fike
07.11.19

There’s no doubt that whales are majestic and incredible creatures.

Their sheer size and their gentle demeanors make them one of the most fascinating species on the planet. And the video you’re about to see is proof of that.

According to the Ocean Alliance:

“Tens of thousands of whales are killed or injured every year as a direct or indirect result of human activities. The health of ocean ecosystems is tied directly to the health of whales. If we continue to lose whales, the results will be disastrous not just for the oceans, but for our entire planet.”

The Ocean Alliance’s goal was to learn more about whales without having to encroach on their space, potentially harming them. So, the organization invented the Snotbot.

NOAA
Source:
NOAA

“Snotbots are custom-built drones created in partnership between Ocean Alliance and Olin College of Engineering. They hover in the air above a surfacing whale and collect the blow (or snot) exhaled from its lungs. Snotbot then returns that sample back to researchers a significant distance away.”

Recently, Christian Miller was out on a Snotbot expedition in San Ignacio Lagoon, Mexico, when he had a curious visitor stop by – a gray whale calf. The very whale species they were trying so hard to protect.

The not-so-small baby was swimming nearby with her much larger mother when they started to swim toward the boat.

YouTube
Source:
YouTube

The gray whale calf popped her head out of the water and came even closer to the boat. Then, even closer. And even closer. Finally, the whale was close enough to the boat that Christian could reach out his arm and touch her. It seemed as if the baby whale was purposefully asking him to pet her!

YouTube
Source:
YouTube

The whale’s mother didn’t seem to mind that her calf was making new friends. In fact, she stayed nearby as Christian gently pet the baby’s chin and underside; first with one hand, then giving her a good pet with two hands.

After a little bit of love, Christian playfully splashed some water on the gray whale calf.

YouTube
Source:
YouTube

Soon, the mother and her baby went on their way and continued their underwater journey to wherever they were going next. Everyone that witnessed the encounter was left completely stunned by what they just saw.

The video below has been viewed thousands of times and people are in complete awe of how gentle and loving the baby whale was – and how understanding and trusting the mother whale was.

Watch the video below and keep reading for another incredible whale encounter that left people with their jaws on the floor.

“Tourists on a Go Whale Watching cruise at Sydney’s Bondi beach definitely got their money’s worth during an excursion on the Australian waters.

It’s not every day that you get to witness a majestic 20-to humpback whale do a breach just yards away from your tour boat.

And wildlife photographer John Goodridge was at the right place at the right time to capture the event on camera,” reported a previous article on our sister channel Shareably.

John Goodridge via The Science News Reporter
Source:
John Goodridge via The Science News Reporter

“Goodridge, a visitor from the United Kingdom, commented what he witnessed that day was “one of the most spectacular breaches he had ever seen” although he was also a little frightened as the giant whale almost seemed to swamp the boat they were on.

To give you a better idea of how close it was, here’s the event from another angle.”

Unilad via The Science News Reporter
Source:
Unilad via The Science News Reporter

“The tourists picked a great day for it, with some thirty whale breaches recorded in just a little over an hour. The whales were really playful. Sometimes you can sit out there and not even see one, so we were really lucky.” he said in an interview.”

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Unilad via The Science News Reporter
Source:
Unilad via The Science News Reporter

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