Researchers from The University of Western Australia are part of a global team that has assembled the DNA of Southern Right Whales, which they believe will increase understanding of the magnificent creatures and may hold the clue to how we can save them from extinction in the future.
Southern Right Whales are cherished mammals who raise their young near the shorelines and call Australia their home. In WA, they are best observed at Flinders Bay in Augusta, where they begin their migration between June and September.
Their friendliness, entering shallow waters and swimming right up to people and vessels, nearly drove them to extinction in previous years, as they were exploited by hunters for their enormous blubber reserves. Their population of more than 100,000 in the 1700s, diminished to less than 400 in the 1920s.
Conservation efforts have improved their numbers since then, however increasing understanding of them is vital for their protection in the future.
Continue reading at University of Western Australia.
Image via University of Western Australia.