Last Updated on June 5, 2026 by Staff
Some scientists studied the health of Hawaii’s false killer whales for seven years. They found out that some of these whales lost a lot of weight in a few months. This is bad news for these whales because they are already in big trouble.
The scientists published their findings in a book about animals that are in danger. Today there are more than 140 false killer whales in the wild. This makes them one of the endangered animals in the ocean in the United States.
The scientists think that these whales are not getting food. They also think that the ocean is changing and that other animals are competing with them for food. This is all very bad for the killer whales.
Watching The Whales
The scientists worked together with some people to study the whales. They used drones to take pictures of the whales from the air. This helped them to see how big and heavy the whales were without bothering them.
The scientists also looked at some killer whales that were living in special pools in Japan. This helped them to make sure that their measurements were correct. They were accurate. About 97% of the time.
The scientists used this information to see how the whales were doing over time. They could see which whales were getting very thin.
Signs Of Big Problems
One whale lost 28% of its body weight in just ten weeks. That is like losing 500 pounds. The scientists also found out that the whales were thinner in 2020 than they had ever been before.
This happened when the ocean was getting very warm. The scientists think that this might be affecting the whales’ food. If the whales do not have food they will get very thin and might even die.
Many of the whales do not have food to eat. If something happens to their food supply it could be very bad for them.
The scientists are trying to find out if the whales are competing with fishermen for food.
Food And Competition
False killer whales like to eat fish like yellowfin tuna and mahi-mahi. People like to eat these fish too. This means that the whales and the people are competing for the food.
The scientists found out that some groups of whales have more time finding food than others. Some whales have to swim far to find food and this makes them very tired.
If the whales do not have food they will get very thin. The scientists are trying to understand what is happening so they can help the whales.
Time Is Running Out
The false killer whales are very important to Hawaii. They help keep the ocean healthy.. There are not many of them left. If we lose more it could be very bad for the whole species.
The scientists think that the number of killer whales is decreasing by about 3.5% every year. This is bad news. The scientists hope that by studying the whales they can help them survive.
The scientists want to make sure that the whales have food to eat. They think that this is one of the important things we can do to help the whales. If we do not help them they might disappear forever. This would be very sad for Hawaii and for the world.