A group of scientists managed to capture video images of a mother whale nursing her calf in the Colombian Pacific.
This would be the third video captured in the world about this work of mothers to raise their calves.
As will be remembered, humpback or humpback whales travel every year from Antarctica to give birth to their young in tropical waters, which is why they are observed between the months of July and October near the Colombian coast.
Investigation
The video was captured by several scientists who have joined forces on the Colombian Pacific coast to study these large cetaceans.
For the scientists who participated in the filming, it was a moving moment to see the mammal giving mother’s milk to its newborn calf.
modern technology
The special moment was captured near the beaches of the department of Chocó, in the Tribugá-Cupica-Baudó Biosphere Reserve, where multi-sensor devices were used that adhere to the whale’s back.
Thanks to this technology, which has been used since 2016, it is possible to place cameras, microphones, thermometers, GPSand other tools to analyze the health of the animal.
This is an investigation carried out by a group of scientists who worked together with the Alianza de Madre Agua Colombia, the Macuáticos Colombia Foundation and the University of California at Santa Cruz, who tracked the mammals along the Colombian coast until they managed to capture this special moment.
It is the first time that an image of a whale suckling in the waters of the Colombian Pacific has been captured.
The experts indicated that in the video you can see the moment in which the whale calf comes to the surface, then descends, meets its mother and stimulates her to feed.
Advance
In the video that was posted on Instagram, the researchers placed a note that says that “despite considerable research effort in the region, this is only the first lactation video for this population in the breeding area, which extends from south from Costa Rica to northern Peru. The occurrence of lactation in the Gulf of Cupica indicates that this is a key area for the species and specifically for key processes in its life history”.
The scientists explained that “for approximately three months the females of the G stock copulate with the males and those pregnant in the previous season give birth to their calves and nourish them with milk that is up to 40% fat. As a result, the calves, which are born weighing close to a ton and measuring approximately four meters, will gain hundreds of kilograms before migrating to their feeding grounds on the Antarctic Peninsula.”
The researchers added that many habits of this species are a mystery, so this video and the device used will allow us to learn more about humpback whales.
They also hope to continue investigating the behavior of these mammals to learn more about their secrets and the secrets of the sea.
With the arrival of the whales in the Colombian Pacific, the possibility of doing nature tourism also begins with the whale watching programs offered by different entities.
Fundación Macúáticos Colombia shared an extraordinary video of a humpback whale nursing its calf.
The calf is seen feeding while swimming alongside its mother.
Biologists point out that such intimate behaviors are difficult to record.#TReporta pic.twitter.com/ETrFvYR3Oa— Reporta Rangefinder (@TReporta) July 4, 2023
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