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Podcasts Take Two
Blue whales lack the ability to avoid cargo ships
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May 7, 2015
Listen • 6:02
Blue whales lack the ability to avoid cargo ships
New research shows that the animals themselves may lack defensive behaviors that help them get out of the way.
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Photo by millerm217 via Flickr Creative Commons
)

New research shows that the animals themselves may lack defensive behaviors that help them get out of the way.

Cargo ships are one of the biggest threats to blue whales. Ships cruising the sea sometimes collide with the endangered creatures and kill them. 

Some shipping companies have agreed to slow their boats, but that might not help. New research shows that the animals themselves may lack defensive behaviors that help them get out of the way. John Calambokidis, co-author of the report and biologist with Cascadia Research, joined the show to explain.