Baby Humpback Whales May Soon Fill Antarctic Seas

By Yasemin Saplakoglu, Staff Writer | May 2, 2018 11:14am ET

Lots of baby humpback whales may be on their way, if recent years are any indication.

An unusually high number of female humpbacks living in the Southern Ocean around the Western Antarctic Peninsula have gotten pregnant in recent years, according to a study published today (May 2) in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Researchers are hopeful that the population is recovering from years of commercial whaling that nearly wiped them out in the area in the 20th century.

Humpback whales usually give birth every couple of years and have pregnancies that last for around 11 months, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Once the baby is born, the mother is very "protective" and "affectionate" toward its young, according to NOAA.

Pregnant or not, humpback whales were easy targets for whalers because of their abundance in bays and their tendency to float when killed, according to the study. With treaties put in place in the late 20th century, whaling stopped, and populations slowly began to recover. Now, humpback whales in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica are not considered endangered, according to The New York Times.

The researchers collected skin and blubber samples between 2010 and 2016 from 268 unsuspecting females. They tested the samples for progesterone — a hormone that regulates the reproductive system and pregnancy in most mammals, including humans. If the progesterone levels matched those found previously in pregnant female humpbacks, the researchers could indicate if these giants were "expecting."

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