Adult and newborn whales found dead off South Africa’s coast

An adult southern right whale and a newborn calf have been found dead near Dyer Island, off South Africa’s coast. Researchers believe the adult whale may have been struck by a ship and are investigating whether she was the calf’s mother.

Southern right whales migrate to South Africa’s coastline each year to give birth, nurse their calves and breed. The annual migration usually attracts thousands of visitors hoping to see mothers and calves close to shore.

Adult whale likely struck by a vessel

The first whale, an adult southern right whale, was discovered on 2 August during a Marine Dynamics boat tour.

Researchers examined the carcass underwater and found severe injuries to the whale’s head. According to Marine Dynamics, the injuries, which were the loss of the upper jaw, missing baleen plates and a severed tongue, are highly consistent with a ship strike.

The following day, researchers found a second dead southern right whale in the same area. The animal was identified as a male calf with an unhealed umbilical cord. This means that he had been born only a few weeks earlier.

The two deaths have raised an important question: Did the calf lose his mother before he was old enough to survive on his own?

DNA tests underway

Experts from Marine Dynamics, the Dyer Island Conservation Trust and the University of Pretoria collected tissue samples from both whales.

DNA testing will determine whether the adult whale and the calf were mother and son. The samples will also contribute to ongoing research into ship strikes involving large whales.

Southern right whales were once hunted to the brink of extinction during the commercial whaling era.

Although their populations have recovered since international protection was introduced, they still face threats including ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear and changing ocean conditions.