New study reveals behavioral shift in southern right whales' selection of nursing sites
Australia's southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) population was nearly wiped out by whaling in the 1800s. Since whaling of the species was banned in the 1970s, the number of mother-calf pairs that visit Australia each winter has grown from a few individuals to several hundred.
A recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that southern right whales in Australian waters are exhibiting a shift in their nursing site preferences. The research, conducted by the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and the Australian Antarctic Division's Science Branch, used aerial survey data from 1976 to 2023 to analyze the whales' distribution across their nursing grounds.
Contrary to the belief that female whales were faithful to the specific bays where they were born, the study found that as the population recovered, whales began to congregate around particular sites, creating "hot spots" with significantly higher numbers of whales. These aggregations emerged as the whale population grew from a few individuals to hundreds.
The researchers suggest that the shift in nursing site selection is a response to increased population density and the whales' attraction to locations where other whales are present. This finding challenges the previous understanding of whale habitat use and emphasizes the dynamic nature of whale behavior in response to environmental changes.
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