Adsorption Walking by Whale Rover on Sperm Whale

Abstract

Sperm whales are known to prey on mesopelagic cephalopods such as giant squid. However, their predatory behavior has not yet been recorded as photographs or videos. If such images can be captured, it will be a valuable clue to clarify the predatory behavior. Therefore, we are developing the “whale rover” that is attached to the back of the whale and moves to the vicinity of the mouth. In this paper, the improvement of the whale rover and the results of field experiments are described.