PBS - The Voyage of the Odyssey - Track the Voyage - ATLANTIC OCEAN
Sailing from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, along the continental shelf of the eastern United States, the weather conditions were perfect for working with
sperm whales (
Physeter macrocephalus
). Running north about 50 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina toward Virginia, the ocean was dead calm with
the Odyssey reflected perfectly on the sea surface.
Mixed with the Frasier's dolphins, were several hundred melon-headed whales (
Peponocephala electra
).
Photo -
Chris Johnson
We sailed Odyssey along the 2,000-meter contour line. This is the edge of the continental shelf of North America where upwellings provide exceptionally
productive feeding areas for several species of marine mammals. In addition to sperm whales, we already sighted five different species of smaller cetaceans.
One sighting in particular proved to be among the most unique of the Voyage.
A few days ago, we detected faint clicks and whistles on our acoustic array (underwater microphone). As the vocalizations intensified we knew the sounds
were coming from a fairly large group of dolphins. The crew scanned the horizon for signs of splashing and when the call came down from the observation
platform, we immediately turned Odyssey in their direction to count the animals and identify the species.
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