Excited by the large number of sei whales what were they sighted in recent years in the vicinity of the beaches of Rada Tilly, in the province of chubuta group of researchers of the National University of Patagonia San Juan Bosco and of the Conicet I thought I’d wear a cape population census to try to determine exactly how many of these gigantic cetaceans currently inhabit the area.
To carry out the census, specialists made several flights over the coastal area of Golfo San JorgeThanks to those who were able to verify the presence of 2,700 copies of this species of whale which, due to the indiscriminate hunting which reached its splendor from the 19th century, until now there was very little information on the area of Golfo San Jorge.
In fact, according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Currently this impressive cetacean that is considered the third largest whale in the world since it can exceed 18 meters in length and weigh up to 30 tons, it is considered in serious danger of extinction.
“During the last 100 years not many specimens were observed. Although historical records show that this whale was here before the hunts, The number and frequency with which they are appearing today is surprising.”, he explained, a Page 12, Mariano CoscarellaConicet researcher at the Center for the Study of Marine Systems.
“We have not seen copulations or births since the Golfo San Jorge is not an area where they come to give birth, but it is They come to eat at this time of year. They have a way of feeding that is called by ramming; the animal opens its mouth and its throat enlarges. We were able to observe groups of up to 10 whales eating simultaneously on the same school,” added the scientist.
The encouraging return of the Sei whale to this Patagonian region led Argentine scientists to study the biological and family ties of other Sei that live in the areas near the Golfo San Jorge.
“We do not know if they are the same ones that are in Antarctica or in Chile. probably related to the ones in Falklands and on the coast of Land of Firebecause they appeared to appear in those regions more or less at the same time that they began to visit our coasts”, said Coscarella.
“The Sei are the most abundant whales in this region of Patagonia Argentina. They can be seen practically all year round, except between July and September when there are hardly any. From there, they can be observed more and more frequently and reach their maximum in May. We got to count 70 specimens in the same place, with the naked eye”, concluded the Conicet specialist.
