Sperm whale asks diver to help remove hook stuck between his teeth
Sperm whales are one of the most intelligent aquatic mammals on the planet.
These species have the largest brain among all the other animals on Earth, and their intelligence proved relative to that.
Their heads contain a large amount of substance called spermaceti (that’s why they’re called sperm whales,) and it is believed that this helps in their buoyancy.
This spermaceti helps them hunt for food.
They harden when the temperature gets cold, adding to a sperm whale’s weight and sinking them further into the depths of the ocean where most of their prey are.
Sperm whales can dive as deeps as 3,280 and feed on squid and other fishes there, and they feed on about a ton of them in a day.
However, one whale caught something in between his teeth while feeding.
Sperm whales only feed on bigger animals, including sharks and skates, and their teeth filter out the smaller ones.
Even debris and other trash in the ocean could get ingested occasionally, and this poor whale, unfortunately, caught one that had been stuck in his teeth for quite a while.
Hugues Vitry is a Mauritian professional diver, underwater naturalist, and environmentalist.
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He also founded a diving club, Blue Water Diving Center, which teaches interested individuals how to dive and get certified and promotes the conservation and preservation of the underwater ecosystem.
His connection with the sperm whales, particularly in the Indian Ocean, could be described as profound and remarkable.
He has known these whales since their birth and saw them grow, and he even gave them names!
This whale in the video is Eliot, one of the whales closest to Hughes.
A diving accessories brand partnered with Hughes Vitry and caught this incredible moment on camera, proving his deep connection with the whales and a sperm whale’s superior intelligence.
Hughes was diving nearby when Eliot swam near him.
It might be their usual interaction, but not until the massive whale moved sideways and opened its mouth.
He was trying to show his human friend something that was bothering him.
Understanding what the whale tried to tell him, Hughes swam closer to look at Eliot’s teeth.
It turned out that a small fishhook was stuck between his teeth, and it’d been making him uncomfortable since.
Taking it out by himself would undoubtedly hurt him, so he needed help with that.
Good thing Hughes was there to save the day.
He removed the hook from Eliot’s teeth and patted him to signal that it was all okay.
However, Eliot didn’t take that cue right away and lingered for a while – as if he needed assurance that everything was really okay and could swim away.
Hughes, then, hugged him, and the whale swam free.
This video now has over 7 million views since it was posted.
It’s no surprise, though; people love some feel-good human-wildlife interaction such as this.
Not everyone has the chance to encounter these creatures closely, so it’s always lovely to see how they behave and let the experts tell us more (so we can understand them more).
Watch the beautiful encounter between Hughes and Eliot in the video below!
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Source: YouTube – World of Aviation, YouTube – Yema_Watches, National Geographic, Instagram – Hughes Vitry, NOAA