Scientists investigate rising whale calf deaths in Argentina
An unusually high number of southern right whale calves have died along Argentina’s Patagonian coast, prompting an investigation by researchers who say the event is unprecedented in 23 years of monitoring. The leading hypothesis is that kelp gull wounds expose calves to marine bacteria, but scientists are testing samples and have not confirmed the cause.
Science · 6 sources · Oct 3, 2026Read itThe journal
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About southern right whale
The southern right whale is a large baleen whale and one of three species of right whale belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Found throughout the Southern Hemisphere, it inhabits oceans between the latitudes of 20° and 60° south. Like its northern relatives, the southern right whale is noted by its broad back without a dorsal fin, a long, arching mouth, and white growths on its head known as callosities. Previously hunted for hundreds of years, almost to extinction, the species is now protected and its global population was estimated to be around 13,600 (2009).
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