UP Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit

UP Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit Established in 1985, the MRI Whale Unit at the University of Pretoria is a research and conservation

Yesterday, we attended a stranding of a 6m southern right whale calf in Walkerbay. 🐋This is the fifth southern right wha...
05/09/2026

Yesterday, we attended a stranding of a 6m southern right whale calf in Walkerbay. 🐋

This is the fifth southern right whale calf stranding recorded this season along our coast. While every stranded whale is concerning, these numbers need to be considered in the context of the number of calves currently along our coastline.

Our first aerial survey of the season, between Hermanus and Witsand, recorded 296 southern right whale calves. ✈️🐋

Based on previous years of observations, we expect around 1–2.5% of southern right whale calves to strand. With five calf strandings recorded so far, we are therefore still within the proportion we would expect given the number of calves along our coast.

🔎 In this case, we did not find clear evidence of a human-related cause of death. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to determine exactly why a whale died, particularly when an animal has been dead for some time or has been exposed to the elements, like this one.

We will continue to closely monitor strandings throughout the season. 📊🐋 This ongoing monitoring is important to ensure that we are aware of any unusual increase in strandings, or any changes in mortality patterns that fall outside the norm.

Every stranded whale provides an opportunity to learn more about the challenges these animals face, and continued monitoring helps us distinguish naturally occurring mortality from patterns that may require further investigation. 🌊

This response is made possible through a stranding network spanning the entire South African coastline and bringing together government departments, conservation organisations, NGOs, universities and many other partners, to whom we are incredibly grateful. 🙏

University of Pretoria Mammal Research Institute Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria

🐋LEARNING WITH LEA: Every second breath you take comes from the ocean, and whales help make it possible 💨 The whale pump...
04/09/2026

🐋LEARNING WITH LEA:

Every second breath you take comes from the ocean, and whales help make it possible 💨

The whale pump is one of nature's most remarkable nutrient transport systems. Whales feed at depth and return to the surface to breathe. Near the surface, they release nutrient-rich f***s containing iron, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

These nutrients fertilize phytoplankton, microscopic marine organisms that absorb about one-third of the carbon dioxide captured by Earth each year and produce roughly half of the oxygen in our atmosphere.

By recycling nutrients through the ocean, whales help support productive marine ecosystems and the phytoplankton that sustain life on Earth.

Healthy whale populations contribute to a healthier ocean, and a healthier planet. 🌍

University of Pretoria Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria Mammal Research Institute

Most of our days are spent behind a computer screen, but some days, we get a vastly different view. The A-team was out a...
02/09/2026

Most of our days are spent behind a computer screen, but some days, we get a vastly different view. The A-team was out and about on the water this Monday, and honestly, fieldwork days are hard to beat. 🌊🐋

It’s peak calving season, which means the bay is full of southern right whale cow-calf pairs. First, the drone goes up to capture aerial photogrammetry so we can assess their body condition and track maternal investment. Once we've got enough footage, we collect valuable biopsy samples.

Just as critical as the piloting and biopsying is the person behind the clipboard. Everything gets logged, GPS coordinates, drone launch and retrieval times, encounter sizes, and behaviour.

Back on land, the day finishes in the labwork, data capturing, and downloading photo and video data for further analysis.

(All research is conducted under valid scientific research and ethics permits)

University of Pretoria Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria Mammal Research Institute

🐋LEARNING WITH LEA: Let’s talk about a real head-turner: the southern right whale brindle calves!While most southern rig...
28/08/2026

🐋LEARNING WITH LEA:

Let’s talk about a real head-turner: the southern right whale brindle calves!
While most southern right whales are predominantly black, nature likes to shake things up. There is a distinct and fascinating pattern within that group called “brindle”.

🐋 Brindle calves, like the one in our top photo, are born with a striking, white colour marked by darker, swirling patches. It’s a very rare genetic pigmentation pattern; only about 3.5% of calves are born brindle!

The genetics behind the look: This pattern is caused by a recessive allele on the X chromosome. For a brindle calf to be possible, the mother must either be brindle (xx) or "partial grey" (xX).

A truly fascinating stat is that 94% of all brindle animals are male. It makes you realise how many genetic threads have to align perfectly!

A brindle calf doesn't stay that white forever. As they mature, that swirling pattern darkens significantly, transforming them into a striking, grey adult (see the bottom image).

University of Pretoria Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria Mammal Research Institute

Yesterday, the MRI Whale Unit took to the skies with Jean Tresfon - Marine Conservation Photographer in his gyrocopter f...
25/08/2026

Yesterday, the MRI Whale Unit took to the skies with Jean Tresfon - Marine Conservation Photographer in his gyrocopter for our annual pre-survey count of southern right whales and their calves. 🐋

This is the 9th year we have conducted this gyrocopter survey. It gives us an early indication of the numbers we can expect during the official annual aerial survey, while also helping us understand how whale numbers change through the season.

And what a day it was!

We counted 296 southern right whale cow-calf pairs — meaning almost 600 whales — as well as 9 unaccompanied adults. These numbers are comparable to the number of cow-calf pairs counted in 2022 and 2024.
Most of the whales were concentrated between Struisbaai and De Hoop Nature Reserve. In Walker Bay, we counted 22 cow-calf pairs and 2 unaccompanied adults.

But the southern right whales were not the only highlight. We also encountered a newborn humpback whale with its mother, hundreds of bottlenose dolphins, a few Bryde’s whales and thousands of common dolphins.

The sea was alive!

A huge thank you to Grootbos Private Nature Reserve for the use of their airstrip, The Bateleurs for funding the survey, and, as always, to Jean Tresfon for his incredible continued support of these surveys. These long-term collaborations make this work possible. 🐋🌊

University of Pretoria Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria Mammal Research Institute

With the help of Southern Right Charters, the Whale Unit attended the stranding of a female southern right whale calf ne...
22/08/2026

With the help of Southern Right Charters, the Whale Unit attended the stranding of a female southern right whale calf near Sopiesklip (Hermanus) yesterday.

The calf was approximately 6m long. Our team collected a wide range of biological samples and measurements, and examined the whale for evidence that could help determine the possible cause of death. Further analyses are ongoing.

This response was made possible through the collaboration of the South African National Stranding Network — a network spanning the entire South African coast and bringing together government departments, conservation organisations, NGOs, universities and many other partners. A particularly important part of this network is our incredible community of Naturalists: members of the public living along the coast who report stranded animals and often assist on the ground.

Thank you to Southern Right Charters and everyone involved in the network for helping us respond quickly and learn as much as we can from these difficult events.

University of Pretoria Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria Mammal Research Institute

🐋LEARNING WITH LEA: Tiny giantsNothing quite beats the absolute joy of spotting a tiny tail splashing beside a massive f...
21/08/2026

🐋LEARNING WITH LEA: Tiny giants

Nothing quite beats the absolute joy of spotting a tiny tail splashing beside a massive female southern right whale! 🐋🌊

Calves are usually born in the sheltered, shallow bays along our coastline during the winter and spring months after a pregnancy of about 16 months. They are born surprisingly big, around 4 to 5 meters long, and gain weight rapidly from their mother’s milk to prepare for the long migration back down to their Antarctic feeding grounds.

These little ones are notoriously playful, often practising breaches and tail-slaps while mom keeps a watchful eye.

University of Pretoria Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria Mammal Research Institute

🐋Nexus Update 🐋When Nexus left the Crozet Islands on 15 July, heading straight back towards South Africa, we thought she...
18/08/2026

🐋Nexus Update 🐋

When Nexus left the Crozet Islands on 15 July, heading straight back towards South Africa, we thought she was coming home.

But then she slowed down — right in the middle of a cluster of large swirling ocean currents called eddies.

These features can concentrate nutrients and prey, creating feeding opportunities in the open ocean. And in the eddy-rich waters south of South Africa, Nexus may have found a pretty good reason to pause her journey home. 🐋🌊

University of Pretoria Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria Mammal Research Institute

🐋LEARNING WITH LEA: Nature’s fingerprintEver wonder how researchers recognise individual whales when they all look kind ...
14/08/2026

🐋LEARNING WITH LEA: Nature’s fingerprint

Ever wonder how researchers recognise individual whales when they all look kind of similar from afar? 🐋🔍

Meet photo-identification! Just like human fingerprints, the patterns of each southern right whale's callosities (the raised patches of rough skin on their heads) is unique to each individual.

By taking clear photos during our aerial surveys and fieldwork, we can match them against our long-term catalogue. This helps us track their movements, monitor population numbers, and learn about their life histories over decades!

University of Pretoria Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria Mammal Research Institute

🐋LEARNING WITH LEA: Why are they called “Right” whales? The history behind their name is a sobering reminder of why our ...
07/08/2026

🐋LEARNING WITH LEA:

Why are they called “Right” whales? The history behind their name is a sobering reminder of why our research exists today.

📜 The "Right" whale to hunt: In the 18th and 19th centuries, whalers dubbed them the “right” whale to target. They swam slowly near coastal waters, yielded vast amounts of valuable oil and baleen, and floated when dead due to their thick blubber layer.

⚓ Pushed to the brink: Intense whaling decimated their populations globally, killing over 150,000 southern right whales and driving them to the absolute brink of extinction. Though international protection was put in place for the species in 1935, illegal whaling continued well into the 1970s.

📈 A story of hope & ongoing challenges: Thanks to global conservation efforts like the global moratorium on whaling, southern right whale populations have made a remarkable comeback along coasts like South Africa’s, growing at roughly 6-7% per year!

But the journey isn’t over. While their global numbers have improved, certain populations (like in Chile-Peru) remain critically endangered. Modern threats, including entanglements in fishing gear, ship strikes, climate change altering food supply, and ocean noise, mean our monitoring work is as vital as ever.

University of Pretoria Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria Mammal Research Institute

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Hermanus
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