Even deep down, the right whales don’t sink

A right whale may weigh some 70 tons, but unlike other marine mammals studied so far, it tends to float rather than sink at great depths.

With suction cups, an electronic tag (arrow) clings to the back of a North Atlantic right whale and stores details of underwater life. Nowacek

Electronic monitoring of 95 right whale dives shows that the animals swim the whole downward leg of 70-meters plus plunges, says Douglas P.