Fin whale numbers in the Antarctic are on the increase, according to scientists.
The news comes after researchers spotted a large group of around 150 whales feeding together near Antarctica’s Elephant Island.
Experts say that it’s a promising sign for the world’s second-largest animal. The species was nearly driven to extinction because of whaling.
A hunting ban fifty years ago means that numbers have been slowly recovering, although sightings on this scale are still very rare.
Scientists say that for the past twenty years, the number of sightings of the whale has been increasing but this is the first time that so many whales have been seen together.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature now lists fin whales as “vulnerable” and estimates the global population as 100,000, with most of these in the northern hemisphere.
Did you know?
Fin whales have a very unusual feature – the left side of their lower jaw is black, but the right side is bright white!
