00:00With the ocean covering most of our Earth's surface, the underwater world still remains a
00:04mystery to us. Scientists and researchers are working hard to protect the planet and to learn
00:08more about the world. But when expert marine biologist Asha DeVos was out in the open sea
00:13during a normal day at work in Sri Lanka, the team spotted something a bit fishy in the water.
00:18At first, they couldn't figure out what they had encountered, but once they returned to land,
00:22they wouldn't believe what they would unravel back at the office.
00:24Let's dive in and discover the underwater secret of Sri Lanka.
00:28Asha DeVos wasn't just a regular graduate of marine biology. She had successfully received
00:33a PhD degree in the field. And if that isn't impressive enough for you, she is actually the
00:37first and, as of right now, the only Sri Lankan to earn a PhD in this field. It's clear that
00:43she
00:43finds a deep connection to her country, and for many years she has chosen to focus her research
00:47on exploring and conservation of the northern Indian Ocean, more specifically, in Sri Lanka.
00:53But before we start, smash the like button, subscribe and ring the notifications bell
00:58so you never miss our upcoming stories. She was on a role in the industry, receiving all sorts of
01:03recognition and awards for her marine research. The key to any type of research is passion,
01:08especially marine law, and the aquatic world of her home country was still quite a mystery when
01:12she had returned home to start her research. And so began her mission to unravel all the secrets
01:17of the sea. She packed up her passion and knowledge and set out to sea with her team.
01:21Considering she was the first and only one in her country to have a doctorate degree in this field,
01:26it was clear that Asha DeVos had pure passion for what she did. But there was something even more
01:30significant about her choice to work in the waters of her homeland. From 1983 to 2009, the waters
01:37surrounding Sri Lanka were inaccessible. On top of that, the water was quite dangerous to take a risk
01:42and discover because there were sea mines dispersed and hidden throughout the area. This didn't stop
01:47DeVos and her team though. After over two decades, they finally had a chance to explore the waters,
01:52and they were excited. Asha DeVos wasn't new to the game. However, she was fully aware that the
01:57North Indian Ocean was an area that was rarely explored. The surrounding countries don't have the
02:02financial status needed to fund aquatic expeditions, so the amount of knowledge known about the water is
02:07quite limited. This made DeVos' adventure that much more exciting though. Come February 2007,
02:12it was just another day in the office at sea for DeVos and her team. That is, until they spotted
02:17something that looked a bit fishy.DeVos' focus was in marine mammal research, and within that focus,
02:23she specialized in blue water whales. Due to Sri Lanka's busy shipping lines, the aquatic life has
02:28been compromised, especially for whales. This area became a key area to focus on conserving and
02:33protecting, and DeVos had been working at it for years. Her ambition to protect and study the whales
02:38were slowly starting to be recognized worldwide, and she was always excited to jump in and explore
02:43the waters. Did you know that Sri Lanka is a top country for whale watching? There are three species
02:48of blue whales that are found in the area, and marine biologist DeVos made it her mission to learn
02:53about these magnificent creatures. One of her roles was to document and catalog the species of whales
02:58that the team discovers. It was just another day in the office when her and her team were observing
03:02the marine life. As great as tourism can be for a country, the aquatic life has also taken a toll
03:07due to the sea trap. As healthy as the ecosystem is in the coastal areas of the island, some of
03:12the
03:12aquatic creatures have been driven away. Because of this, though, Asha DeVos and her team utilized a
03:17special way to document and observe the whale. A big part of the technique is to always be on high
03:21alert to taking a snapshot, especially since whales typically don't approach the boat, especially so
03:26close to the coast. Being camera-ready is crucial. As large as whales can be, they can also be
03:31quite sensitive, because they like their privacy and to swim in the deep ocean waters.
03:36Asha DeVos and her team tend to travel past the coastal shore into the open waters to observe
03:40and photograph the blue whale. However, they were about 4.3 miles, 7 km from the shore when they
03:45started to see something approach them. And as we mentioned before, it wasn't normal for a whale to
03:50get close to the boat. They could tell it was a creature, but it wasn't like anything they had ever
03:54seen before. As their vessel was at a standstill, the team had to think quick. DeVos and her team
03:59quickly grabbed their cameras and started shooting documentary pictures before it swam away.
04:03The closer the creature got to the vessel, the bigger it looked. At this point, it seemed
04:08about as big as a school bus. And the creature wasn't just approaching the boat, it was circling
04:12and swimming around them. Can you imagine the rush the team was feeling? With a mixture of
04:17fear and excitement, how came the cameras and notebooks to document what they were witnessing?
04:21As we mentioned, the area was rarely studied and minimal information about it was gathered
04:26before DeVos came along. The great thing about their documentation technique is that its main
04:30focus is to categorize and catalog different species. In an interview with Ted Fellows, DeVos
04:35shared that she got very lucky while she was taking pictures.
04:38This marine animal was very relaxed, so I was able to take plenty of photos of its characteristic
04:42features. An enormous animal they had never seen before had just approached and circled their
04:47vessel and remained relaxed and calm while they were taking pictures of him. Was it a shark?
04:51A whale? A dolphin? With shock, awe, and excitement, her and her students got straight to work when
04:57they got back to land. They whipped out their journals and their catalog of photographs.
05:01That's when we began to realize that what we'd seen was quite different to anything we had ever
05:05seen before, stated DeVos to Ted Fellows. In order for you to understand how big a deal it was
05:11for DeVos to call in for backup, let's give you a little bit of background on her experience.
05:15We know that she graduated with a doctorate in marine mammal research and focused her studies on the
05:20blue whale. But what did she do after? Well, in 2008, she established and headed the Sri Lankan
05:25Blue Whale Project, a project focused on long-term research on blue whales in the northern Indian
05:30Ocean. But this was just the start to her incredible, rewarding career. Thanks to Asha DeVos'
05:35incredible dedication and research, Sri Lanka's blue whales were named by the International Whaling
05:40Commission as animals in urgent need of conservation research. Five years after starting the Sri Lankan
05:45Blue Whale Project, she received the President's Award for Scientific Publications in 2013. And in
05:512016, she was inducted into Oceana, an international organization to protect the world's oceans,
05:57as senior advisor and a renowned marine biologist. I'm thrilled to join this organization, which has
06:02the proven experience and ability to help protect marine wildlife, including the blue whales I have
06:07studied for so long, stated DeVos to Oceana. So, like we said, DeVos was a pro when it came to
06:13aquatic
06:13life in Sri Lanka, and she was recognized globally for it. So, calling for backup definitely meant
06:18they might have found something extravagant. When whales approach our boats, we see so little of
06:23them, particularly because most keep a low profile, unlike the more showy humpbacks. So, it's often
06:28difficult to register their characteristic features at a glance. DeVos mentioned during a questionnaire
06:32with Oceana, although DeVos was able to get some photographs, she was having trouble identifying the
06:37mammal. She and her team of students were able to distinguish five characteristics from the
06:41photos of this unidentified mammal. There were five different characteristics, or morphologically
06:46diagnostic features in technical terms, that helped identify exactly what species of aquatic
06:52animal this was. It was mostly related to the asymmetrical jawline, pigmentation, and some other
06:57unique marks. Based on its unusual markings like the asymmetrical coloring, its right side lower jaw is
07:03light, while on the left it's dark, and its chevron marking, DeVos shared with Ted Fellows, she had a
07:09feeling she knew what the species was. Upon further research and photo identification, the team
07:14thought that maybe they were in the presence of a bride's whale. This large species of whale lives in
07:19warmer waters, just like the Indian Ocean. DeVos told National Geographic, she started to think it was a
07:24different mammal. The lighter lower right jaw and chevron were key characteristics that made me
07:29question what I had seen because bride's whales are essentially uniformly black. Mominen felt like they
07:34were that much closer to identifying the magnificent creature that approached them on the 5th of February
07:382017. She immediately transferred a few of the images to two of her colleagues, Dr. Robert Brownell
07:44and Dr. Salvatore Sergio, who are familiar with this species. And by this species, we mean the species of
07:50animal that DeVos believed this creature to be. Asha DeVos became the first to record Amura's whales in
07:56Sri Lankan waters, finalizing the official record in 2017. The species, discovered in 2003, is extremely
08:03rare, with sightings only in a few parts of the Indian Ocean. Her discovery gained global recognition.
08:08She presented her research at National Geographic's Explorers Festival, was named an emerging explorer in
08:132016, and received the Women of Discovery Sea Award in 2018. DeVos is now a Ted Senior Fellow, Duke Global
08:20Fellow for Marine Conservation, and a young global leader at the World Economic Forum. While research
08:25in Madagascar shows Amura's whales filter tiny plankton and fish eggs, little is known about
08:30their behavior. DeVos' confirmation came with help from Dr. Salvatore Sergio, a leading expert on the
08:36species. Asha DeVos and fellow researcher Dr. Salvatore Sergio share a passion for protecting the ocean,
08:42echoing Jacques Cousteau's belief that people protect what they love. DeVos emphasizes that knowledge
08:47fosters care, taking pride in her discovery of Amura's whales in Sri Lankan waters as a symbol
08:53of her country's rich biodiversity. She highlights how little of the ocean less than 5% has been
08:58explored, despite it covering 70% of Earth. Returning home after studying marine biology abroad,
09:04DeVos chose to dedicate her expertise to Sri Lanka's vibrant land and marine ecosystems,
09:09a decision that led to a historic contribution to science and conservation.
