Southern Right Whales - University of Otago Study led by Professor Steve Dawson and Dr Will Rayment

A University of Otago research team led by Professor Steve Dawson and Dr Will Rayment, have recently returned from a month-long expedition to the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands where they have been collecting data on a recovering population of southern right whales.
The main focus of the project was collecting high quality photographs of whales from above using adapted unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
One of the most striking sights is the presence of calves that are almost completely white. Their colouration making the task of recording them easier for Marine Science PhD student and UAV operator/pilot David Johnston.
“They really stand out from the surface. They look almost luminous, making them really easy to track,” Mr Johnston says.
This pigmentation pattern occurs in around three to four percent of calves, nearly always males, and is caused by the expression of a recessive gene different to that which causes the typical black colour. The white pigmentation usually darkens as the animal grows older, developing into a mottled grey colouration.

Music: “Betterdays” by Bensound, www.bensound.com

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