For deep-diving whales, plastic garbage may ‘sound’ like food

In the ocean’s abyss, deep-diving whales use echolocation to hunt in pitch dark. Emitting sounds that bounce off objects gives the whales a clear picture of their surroundings.

But such a superpower might come with a downside, a new study reveals. When hit by whalelike sound frequencies, the strength of the echo returned by plastic debris is similar to that of whales’ common prey, researchers from Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, N.C., report October 16 in Marine Pollution Bulletin. That may trick sperm, beaked and other deep-diving whales into eating deadly garbage.

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