00:00The behemoths of the Banda Sea off Timor-Leste.
00:06These pygmy blue whales, seldom documented on video, captured alongside their calves.
00:13One of the largest creatures on earth and we still know very little about them because
00:18the numbers are low and also they're highly elusive so even the smallest amount of disturbance
00:24and they're gone.
00:26Capturing these creatures has been a team effort involving scientists from Australia
00:31with Timorese locals and tourism operators.
00:34What it's revealed is this corridor off the Banda Sea isn't just a foraging ground, footage
00:40revealing it's also a romantic hotspot.
00:44To see these amazing animals in courtship behaviour or to see mothers and calves nursing
00:52very closely together and you wouldn't see that in a boat.
00:59With pygmy blue whales an endangered species, the Timorese government wants to learn how
01:03to better protect the animals against the threats of climate change.
01:09Especially to help in saving our ocean, the planet and all these creatures that we have
01:19in Timor.
01:21The project is the start of a deep dive for whale research, economic opportunity and conservation
01:28between Australia and one of its closest neighbours, seeking more information about the elusive
01:33creatures of the deep.
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