Pygmy blue whales: Community scientists in Timor-Leste help research

Timor-Leste has one of the highest concentrations of marine mammals in the world.

During the migration season – October and November – hundreds of minke blue whales pass through the country’s waters, making an epic journey spanning thousands of kilometers from southern Australia to the Banda Sea, which lies in the north of East Timor.

But the area was under-explored, says Professor Edivane, who started the monitoring program in 2014.

During whaling season for the past decade, she has been based in Subaun, about 50 km (31 miles) from the capital, Dili, working with fishermen, students and diving tour operators to document the cetaceans.

They have documented “some of the lesser-known intimate reproductive behaviors of blue whales, some for the first time,” says Professor Ediwein, who lectures at the Australian National University and Charles Darwin University.

In July, for example, the team captured underwater footage of a mother feeding her calf, providing a glimpse into the largely unknown reproductive behavior of the species.

“It’s very, very exciting,” she adds.