A group of black killer whales, an international protected species, were discovered in the Geomundo area of Dadohaehaesang National Park.
Dadohaehaesang National Park under the Ministry of Environment announced today (7th) that during a recent marine ecosystem survey, hundreds of black killer whales were photographed moving in groups.
The black killer whales that were photographed this time are about 200, including a mother individual estimated to be 4m in length and a young individual within 1m.
The researchers explained that they captured a group of black killer whales moving westward from the geomungo at about 20 kilometers per hour.
The black killer whale, also known as the killer whale because it is similar in appearance and size to the killer whale, is an internationally protected species classified by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as a species that lacks information on the Red List.
It is known to be distributed in temperate and tropical oceans around the world, but little is known about its ecological characteristics.
Black killer whales have not been seen well in Korea.
There has been a case where about 10 animals have been found dead in Jeju and Busan, or in the deep coast of the East Sea, but this is the first time that a group of about 200 has been captured by a camera.
After a group of killer whales was discovered in Dadohaehaesang National Park in 2016, a large-scale group of black killer whales was discovered again in the national park. "The black killer whale is a very difficult species to see in Korea," said Choi Seung-woon, head of the National Park Research Institute. "It is very meaningful that it appeared on the coast of Geomundo, a park area."
The National Park Research Institute announced that it will do its best to systematically preserve the black killer whales while working on scientific research and research.
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(Photo = National Parks Corporation, courtesy of the National Fisheries Research Institute Whale Research Center, Yonhap News)