Follow the whales' incredible journeys
by SailGP 17 Dec 2022 03:12 PST
The whales' incredible journeys © Richard Robinson / taken under Department of Conservation permit
Last holiday season with our partners' support, SailGP gave the gift of impact, contributing towards a world-first global southern right whale study through Live Ocean Foundation.
This year it's an opportunity to follow the southern right whales' incredible migrations.
When the research team from the University of Auckland met Rua tekau ma toru he was hanging out alone in Port Ross. Unlike many of the other males who headed Southeast, he took the scenic route North and spent some time around Stewart Island before swimming across to the southern tip of Western Australia.
Rua tekau ma tahi on the other hand, chose to spend longer exploring the bays around the Auckland Islands until her calf was strong enough to venture into the wild open Southern Ocean. Once they left their island sanctuary, they made a beeline for the feeding grounds off the south coast of Australia. Here the calf will quickly pack on the pounds, growing as much as a meter per month!
The live feed for the five Australian whales involved in the study can now be viewed alongside the New Zealand whale tracks here.