A drone flying over the coast of Western Australia captured the rare and heart-warming sight of an endangered mother whale and her calf.
The West reports that the images were captured near the coastal city of Bunbury, showing a Southern right whale with her calf in tow. They are typically seen migrating over Western Australia’s southern coast over the winter.
The whales travel to the warmer waters of Australia from the Antarctic to breed. Those first few months are crucial for the whale’s young as the calves need to pack a lot of weight to survive the journey back to the rich feeding grounds of the Antarctic.
Geographe Marine Research chair Ian Wiese noted the calf was several months old based on its size. Explaining the significance of the sighting, he said, “Occasionally they go further than this, but rarely go north of Rottnest in Western Australia.”
The Southern right whale is one of three right whale subspecies; the other two are the North Atlantic right whale and the North Pacific right whale. Right whales are easily recognizable with their stocky black bodies and the callosities on their heads. These irregular patches of roughened skin are unique to each whale, making it easy to tell them apart. The patches house amphipods that feed on the skin and are called “whale lice,” but their function is still not well understood by researchers, per Whales Online.
The whale’s name has a rather unfortunate connotation. Because they move slowly, they were considered the “right whales to hunt.” As a result, they were hunted to near extinction. The World Wildlife Fund notes there were just 60 females left worldwide in 1920. They have since recovered to some extent, but they still face serious challenges from bycatch, and, like other whales, a warming ocean is threatening their food supplies.
Drones, like trail cameras, are really starting to prove their worth in aiding conservation efforts by monitoring a species from afar. One of the biggest challenges in protecting right whales is a lack of knowledge about their behavior. Because they are so rare, any footage of them is incredibly valuable to forming effective conservation measures and raising awareness of the plight these wonderful, gentle giants still face.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.