Animals that hunt in the dark with sonar may not be able to tell junk from squids.
Animals that hunt in the dark with sonar may not be able to tell junk from squids.
To whales that hunt with soundwaves in the lightless depths of the ocean, a torn plastic party balloon and a delicious squid seem to be remarkably similar, according to a new study that put some plastic beach trash through underwater acoustic testing.
"These acoustic signatures are similar, and this might be a reason that these animals are driven to consume plastic instead of, or in addition to, their prey," said Duke University graduate student Greg Merrill, who led the research.
"One hundred percent of plastic marine debris tested have either similar or stronger acoustic target strengths compared with that of whale prey items," the authors report in a paper appearing online in Marine Pollution Bulletin.
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Image: Samples of plastic beach trash collected in Beaufort and Atlantic Beach, North Carolina and then subjected to underwater acoustic testing. Echo-locating whales may not be able to tell the difference between these objects and their real food. (Credit: Greg Merrill, Duke University Marine Lab)
