The body of a Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, has been found stranded on a beach near Cape Town in South Africa. The Whale, measuring 10-12 m in length, was found on Strandfontein Beach in Western Cape Province, at about 2.00 pm local time on Saturday 10 October 2020. The National Sea Rescue Institute has warned bathers in the False Bay area to be particularly aware of Sharks in the area, as they are attracted to the scent of Whale carcasses. Humpback Whales are frequently sighted around the Western Cape between May and November, as they migrate between their Antarctic feeding grounds and the areas off the coast of Mozambique where they breed.
Humpback Whales were nearly exterminated
by commercial Whaling in the
first part of the twentieth century. The species has been protected
since 1946, and in recent years their population has appeared to be
recovering in many areas, now being seen as being of Least Concern under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.
The Whales are recovering in many parts of the globe, and are starting
to appear in areas where they have not previously been recorded.
Humpback Whales were nearly exterminated
by commercial Whaling in the
first part of the twentieth century. The species has been protected
since 1946, and in recent years their population has appeared to be
recovering in many areas, now being seen as being of Least Concern under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.
The Whales are recovering in many parts of the globe, and are starting
to appear in areas where they have not previously been recorded.
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