AI reveals novel nighttime feeding behaviors in right whales
Right whales forage near the water's surface at night, putting them at greater risk of potentially fatal collisions with boats, Jay Kirkham at Dalhousie University, Canada, and colleagues report Sept. 16, 2026, in the journal PLOS ONE.
This article reports on novel nighttime feeding behaviors exhibited by critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, as documented by researchers from Dalhousie University in Canada. These whales, already threatened by human activities like fishing and shipping, have been found to spend up to 76% of their time feeding, with an average of 11.4 hours daily.
Surprisingly, much of this feeding occurs at night, when the whales move to the surface to feed near the water's surface, contrary to previous observations that they primarily fed near the seafloor by day. This unexpected surface feeding behavior was not previously documented for North Atlantic right whales. The study, published in PLOS ONE on September 16, 2026, utilized specialized biologging tags equipped with advanced sensors to gather high-resolution data on the whales' movements and behaviors.
Machine learning models were trained using video footage and tracking data to accurately identify feeding behaviors. The findings highlight the need for improved conservation measures, as about 25% of the whales' feeding occurred outside designated vessel exclusion zones, significantly raising their risk of collisions with boats.
The researchers emphasize the importance of understanding these whales' nighttime feeding patterns to enhance protection efforts and contribute to the survival of one of the most endangered whale species in the world.
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