The bad-tempered whales of 2018

In 2018, Humpback Whales in the breeding ground off the west coast of Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean exhibited a high rate of agonistic behaviour. Video recordings and social media posts showed signs of aggressive characteristics during whale watching tours/towards swimmers and also recreational/commercial fishing ventures. The whales were in the region from late June until mid-October 2018.

Below is a time frame of meteor and whale strandings in the region during 2018. It should be noted that in the Northern Hemisphere, t the same time, they were dealing with a similar situation between August/September. Scotland/Ireland. In one month August/September more whales washed ashore than in the previous 10 years. This had followed a meteor airburst in the Celtic Sea. Further deaths were seen in the Netherlands and Sweden.

2018, January 6. Southern Ocean, southwest of South Africa. Airburst. Time: 18:24:27. Coordinates: (39.5S;12.8E). Altitude: 26.0km. Energy: e = 3.3e10, -e = 0.11 or 111,000 kg/TNT.

2018, April 19. Indian Ocean, east of the Reunion and Mauritius Islands. Airburst. Time: 13:39:39. Coordinates: (22.2S;72.6E). Altitude: 31.5km. Velocity: (-5.9;-9.1;1.4). Energy: e = 48e10, -e = 1.2 or 1,200,000 kg/TNT.

2018, June 2. Botswana, watering hole called Motopi Pan. Meteor Impact / Fireball. Detected before coming into Earths atmosphere by the Catalina Sky Survey. Estimated to be 2-3 meters in diameter. The meteorites were recovered near a. Energy: The impact kinetic energy was approximately 0.2 kt to 0.5 kt (200,000 to 500,000 kg of TNT). The disruption occurred roughly over the coordinates 21.2°S, 23.3°E. Infrasound: It was detected by the CTBTO infrasound station I47 in South Africa, proving that even a 2-meter rock generates significant low-frequency pressure waves that travel through the environment.

2018 June 7. South Africa, Cape Town, Muizenberg Beach. A mass stranding of a pod of 12 false killer whales stranded at rescue efforts were undertaken, but not all survived.

2018, July 11. Mauritius: Pygmy Cachalot. Location: Near the reefs of Mauritius. Event: A Pygmy Sperm Whale (Kogia breviceps) was found in a state of extreme panic and disorientation. Behavior: Local rescuers noted the whale was releasing "ink" (a stress response) and was highly disoriented.

2018, July 27. Madagascar southwestern, Benenitra. Meteorite Impact/ Airburst. Sonic boom.

2018, August - September. Namibia: Humpback Spike "delayed arrival". Location: Walvis Bay and surrounding coastline. Event: A series of Humpback whale carcasses were discovered throughout August and early September 2018. Condition: Much like the Donegal whales in Northern Hemisphere, these were described by local conservationists (Working Abroad/Namibian Dolphin Project) as "deflated" and "rotting," indicating they had died weeks earlier.

2018, September 25. South of Madagascar, Indian Ocean. Airburst. Coordinates: (34.3S, 44.9E). Energy: e = 5.45, -e = 0.1

2018, September 25. Airburst. Reunion and Mauritius Islands, Indian Ocean. Coordinates: (23.5S, 56.8E). Energy: e = 80.8e10, -e = 1.9 or 1,900,000 kg/TNT. Altitude: 33 km. Velocity: (-16.2, 2.8, 0.6).

2018, October 7. St. Helena Bay, South Africa. Location: St Helena Bay, Western Cape. Event: A female Killer Whale (Orca) stranded in poor condition while her pod remained nearby in visible distress. Scientific Note: Necropsies found internal lesions. This pod's "distress" and the female's internal trauma occurred just two weeks after the September 25 double-airburst (1.9 kt total) in the Indian Ocean.

2018, November 19. Mozambique, near Inhambane. A mass stranding of a small pod of pilot whales stranded. Local authorities and marine conservation groups worked to rescue and refloat the whales, with mixed success.

2018, December 12. Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. Location: Robberg Beach. Event: A juvenile Killer Whale beached itself. Rescuers successfully refloated it, but the appearance of a juvenile orca alone is considered a high-stress indicator for the pod.