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SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE 19.TIF

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As soon as tohorā calves are big enough to handle the rigours of the open sea, their mothers will lead them on their first migration. The calves grow about a metre a month, the mum has very fat-rich milk, so that means that the calf is able to cope with the migration, but also cold temperatures. For female tohorā, having a baby is a significant undertaking. “They’ll have one calf every three years, and [the mother] will lose up to 25 per cent of her size investing in that calf,” says Carroll. “So if they don’t get enough kai, they can’t actually gestate or look after that calf. “That’s why it’s important to understand where our whales are feeding, so that we can understand how climate change will impact their recovery.”
Shot on assignment for New Zealand Geographic Issue: 166 November December 2020.
Read the Feature: https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/the-whales-are-back/
Photograph Richard Robinson © 2020.
Rights managed image. No Reproduction without prior written permission.
ALL IMAGES TAKEN UNDER PERMIT FROM THE NEW ZEALAND DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION.
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Richard Robinson © 2020.No Reproduction without prior written permission.
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TOHORĀ
As soon as tohorā calves are big enough to handle the rigours of the open sea, their mothers will lead them on their first migration. The calves grow about a metre a month, the mum has very fat-rich milk, so that means that the calf is able to cope with the migration, but also cold temperatures. For female tohorā, having a baby is a significant undertaking. “They’ll have one calf every three years, and [the mother] will lose up to 25 per cent of her size investing in that calf,” says Carroll. “So if they don’t get enough kai, they can’t actually gestate or look after that calf. “That’s why it’s important to understand where our whales are feeding, so that we can understand how climate change will impact their recovery.”<br /> Shot on assignment for New Zealand Geographic Issue: 166 November December 2020.<br /> Read the Feature: https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/the-whales-are-back/<br /> Photograph Richard Robinson © 2020.<br /> Rights managed image. No Reproduction without prior written permission.<br /> ALL IMAGES TAKEN UNDER PERMIT FROM THE NEW ZEALAND DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION.