Rare footage shows a huge humpback whale nursing its calf in the waters off Colombia.
The footage was taken in August 2022, in the waters off Bahía Solano, in Chocó, by conservation scientists from the Macuáticos Colombia and Madre Agua Colombia foundations.
It is the first known record of a humpback whale calf being breastfed from its mother in this region, from waters of southern Costa Rica to northern Peru. This is only the second visual report of a humpback whale calf feeding from its mother, the first being taken in Hawaii, in 2021.
Scientists have put in "considerable effort" to capture this moment, the Macuáticos foundation said in an Instagram post.
Humpback whales feed milk that is up to 40 percent fat to their young. Calves will gain hundreds of kilograms before they migrate away from the area, to feeding grounds in the Antarctic Peninsula, Macuáticos said on Instagram. Humpback whales will stay with their mother for at least a year after birth, until it is weaned. During this time, the mother will continue to nurse the young.
Research published in March 2020 found that, while nursing, mother humpbacks use fewer fluke strokes, while calves' increase. While nursing, the mother will stay alongside the calf and they can feed anywhere at a depth of between 12 feet and about 200 feet.
The footage indicates that the Gulf of Cupica in Chocó is a key area for the species and integral to its life cycle.
In the video, a humpback calf can be seen feeding from its mother, while it makes clicking sounds. The footage was taken using multisensors that attach to the whale's back, according to news outlet Aristegui Noticias. There are cameras within the multisensor and microphones, which scientists can then watch back to learn more about the species' behavior.
The nursing is a rare sight to behold in the wild. This may also be due to the fact that is could be more common during the night, when there are fewer opportunities for the mother to forage.
Humpback whales can be found in oceans worldwide. They are able to travel huge distances and migrate further than any other mammal, sometimes 5,000 miles. Often, these humpbacks swim from topical breeding grounds to cooler feeding grounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more
