{
  "id": 16769770,
  "title": "New study reveals behavioral shift in southern right whales' selection of nursing sites",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/new-study-reveals-behavioral-shift-in-southern-right-whales-selection",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-27T17:10:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-10-reveals-behavioral-shift-southern-whales.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [
    "Southern right whales in Australian waters shift nursing site preferences.",
    "Study uses aerial survey data from 1976 to 2023 to analyze distribution.",
    "Whale population growth creates hot spots with higher numbers of whales."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}