Amazing drone footage of southern right whale mothers shows how they starve themselves for their calves
INCREDIBLE drone footage has captured the amazing lengths southern right whale mothers go to for their calves, starving themselves for months to fatten them. WATCH THE VIDEO
- Fishermen capture amazing footage of southern right whale near Wallaroo
- Largest number of whales seen this year frolic in waters at Victor Harbor
SCIENTISTS at Head of Bight have used a drone to identify the physical changes to female whales while raising a calf.
Murdoch University researchers, sponsored by World Wide Fund for Nature — Australia, are using drones for the first time to conduct health checks on southern right whales, and gather data about their migration, feeding and breeding patterns.
Southern right whales journey thousands of kilometres from their Antarctic feeding grounds to Head of Bight where they give birth.
The mothers stay for about three months — and do not eat, relying solely on their fat stores — to fatten their calves so they are strong enough to return to Antarctica.
New drone pictures have shown that a mother whale named Scooter dramatically shrank in width, losing 43cm in two months, as she fattened her calf.
Another mother, Bella, went from 2.49m to 2.17m in the same period, while her calf grew from 5.84m long to 7.67m.
Other mothers experienced a similar loss in condition, and some became so skinny their spinal cords began to show.
Murdoch University researcher Dr Fredrik Christiansen said the toll on southern right whale mothers meant they could give birth only every three to four years.
“When they arrive they have significant fat reserves, they are wide all along their body,” he said. “When they leave they look like giant tadpoles.”
WWF-Australia whale researcher Chris Johnson said the dramatic loss of condition meant the whale mothers were vulnerable to emerging threats.
“These include getting tangled in marine debris, disturbance from oil and gas development, and global ocean warming, which could reduce their food supply in Antarctica,” Mr Johnson said.
If the condition of southern right whales continues to change in the future, researchers believe it could be the result of human activities.
“Nurturing a calf is already tough enough for the mothers without humans adding to the pressure,” Mr Johnson said.
Murdoch University in collaboration with Curtin University and the Great Australian Bight Right Whale Study have been recording individual lives of whales since 1991, and researchers say their recovery is looking positive, after they were nearly hunted to extinction.
WWF-Australia has launched a funding drive to support Murdoch University’s research using drones.
Researchers hope to buy three additional drones with funds raised to continue gathering data that doesn’t harm the animals and lowers risks for humans.
Originally published as Amazing drone footage of southern right whale mothers shows how they starve themselves for their calves
‘They’re scared of us’: iPhone killer emerges
There’s a stylish new kid on the block in the smartphone world, and its colourful CEO has grand ambitions that has the giants worried.
Fold phone slims down to 8.9mm
A tech giant has unveiled powerful new super thin new folding phones along with watches that will tell you when you are not eating enough fruit and vegetables or when you need to go to bed.
Could ‘catch fire’: Power banks recalled
The safety watchdog has ordered the recall of a range of power bank models over fears they could overheat and set alight.