National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: Whales Could Be Harmed by Oil-Search Noises, Report Says


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A humpback whale breaches off the coast of Loango National Park in Gabon.

The International Whaling Commission has endorsed a report saying that marine mammals are at risk from loud undersea airgun bursts used during oil exploration. The noise might be one of the reasons why humpback whales sometimes become stranded in shallow water.

Photograph by Michael Nichols/NGS