Zoologist Olga Filatova spoke about the study of the cause of the specific smell of the so-called “stinky” whales in Chukotka, during which it turned out that their skin samples contain less heavy nitrogen than other individuals.
It should be noted that recently Chukchi hunters have begun to report an increase in the number of whales caught with a specific “medical” smell. The meat of such animals is not suitable for food and can cause digestive and liver problems. This problem was first noticed about 20 years ago.
According to the zoologist, a low level of heavy nitrogen, which provokes the presence of such a smell, may indicate liver disease or the specificity of the food, as the substance accumulates progressively in the food chain. That is, such whales can eat less predatory food, RIA Novosti reports.
Filatova notes that it has not yet been determined which of these reasons is reliable. To do this, it is necessary to study a large number of samples with good tissue preservation.
Scientists at the Beringia National Park have already analyzed the isotopic composition of carbon and nitrogen in 46 gray whale skin samples collected in different parts of Chukotka, thanks to which it was possible to associate the smell with low levels of heavy nitrogen. The studied material included 22 samples from the area of the Senyavin Strait, 19 samples from the Mechigmen Bay, 2 samples from Sireniki, and 3 samples from Inchoun.
According to scientists, studies are complicated by the fact that poor quality samples are sent to specialists for analysis, reports prochukotku.ru. In addition, biologists have not yet been able to obtain a large number of samples of the contents of the stomach of whales, necessary for the study of their diet.