A starved gray whale was found stranded on Playa Antares, East Cape, its body severely emaciated and over 80% infested with parasites, indicating prolonged malnourishment. The cause of death remains unclear, but whales beach themselves for various reasons, including illness, injury, weather conditions, and human activity.
This season, 40 gray whale deaths have been recorded, primarily among young and adult specimens. Jorge Urbán, head of the Marine Mammal Research Program at UABCS, noted that while this number is within the expected range, it is unusual that the deceased whales are not calves. Strandings have occurred across different areas, likely due to colder waters in North America pushing whales further south in search of warmth. As a result, sightings have increased in Los Cabos, Cabo Pulmo, La Paz, and Loreto.
The global gray whale population is emerging from a five-year period of unusual mortality. While numbers are improving, calf births remain low. A March 1 report from Gray Whale Research in Mexico recorded 95 gray whales in the San Ignacio Lagoon, including two mother-calf pairs, and 384 single specimens in Magdalena Bay. The estimated worldwide gray whale population stands at 17,410.
Ridiculous. How about windmills in the ocean? Maybe that’s the unknown mortality event. It’s like they don’t get credit for a single take when they die. Not a single take