A dead southern right whale found on a beach near Puerto Pyramides, in Chubut, Argentina, October 7, 2022. /CFP
A dead southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) was lying on a beach near Puerto Pyramides, in Chubut Province, Argentina, on Friday. In the past few days, at least 13 southern right whale carcasses have turned up on the coast of the Nuevo Gulf in northern Patagonia and in the Pulnaz Islands Marine Reserve.
The reason behind the whales' death is under investigation, according to Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas (ICB) – an institute for the conservation of whales.
Despite the recent deaths, scientists have recorded more than 1,400 whales in the Nuevo and San Jose gulfs in Argentina, the largest number in more than 50 years.
A southern right whale with her calf in the waters of the South Atlantic Ocean near Puerto Madryn, Chubut Province, Argentina, October 5, 2022. /CFP
The southern right whale is found throughout the Southern Hemisphere. These whales migrate between colder feeding areas in the austral summer and warmer breeding grounds in the austral winter. They have a stocky, black body with white belly and chin patches and a large head covered in callosities - rough and calcified skin. They lack a dorsal fin and have wide, paddle-shaped flippers. They range between 43 to 56 feet (about 13 to 17 meters) in length , and weigh up to 176,000 pounds (about 80 tonnes).
Current anthropogenic threats to southern right whales include entanglement in fishing gear, vessel strikes, industrialization of coastal and marine habitats that can result in habitat degradation, ocean noise, and changes in water conditions.
(All images via CFP)
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