‘Super rare' sight as surprised whale watchers bear witness to humpback calf's birth off The Spit seaway on the Gold Coast
A Sea World whale-watching group was surprised to see a humpback whale with a small, pale newborn just outside The Spit seaway, soon after starting a tour from Main Beach on Monday morning.
They followed the pair for a few minutes before noticing the mother was bleeding.
'When the mum rolled and showed us her belly, we saw a lot of blood on her body,' crew member Georgia Roberts said.
Roberts said they then saw a 'burst of blood' before witnessing the placenta detach.
'We actually realised the placenta had floated to the surface and we all got an amazing look at it,' she said.
It was the first time a humpback whale has been witnessed mid-birth on the Gold Coast.
'Super rare, super cool — being there to witness it firsthand was one of the most amazing experiences and I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to top it,' Roberts said.
The sighting — and footage taken at the time — will now provide documented proof for scientists who had long believed the Gold Coast is a birthing ground for humpback whales.
Humpback whales migrate from their usual habitat in Antarctic waters to warmer waters off northern Australia, including the Gold Coast, where they care for their young over winter.
While it has long been presumed many of these calves were born in Gold Coast waters — and not just en route — a local birth has never before been documented.
Gold Coast Newborn Calf Study founding researcher Laura Torre, who has been studying humpback calves since 2013, said Monday's sighting 'is huge news scientifically which will be published'.
'We can now confidently say the Gold Coast is a birthing area as well as a calf-care area,' she said.
'Yesterday we witnessed a placenta detach from the mother, which means she had given birth just before the boat arrived that morning.'
Newborn calves lay on top of their mothers, or glide next to them, for the first weeks of life until they get stronger and their muscles develop.
'Babies do not have much swimming ability, so (boats) all need to go slow for the newborns here in June, July and August,' Torres said.
Since 2013 there have been more than 300 humpback whale calves documented on the Gold Coast, where mothers spend time nursing and nurturing their young before returning south to Antarctica.
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Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
‘Super rare' sight as surprised whale watchers bear witness to humpback birth
A humpback whale has been spotted mid-birth in an extremely rare sighting off Queensland's Gold Coast. A Sea World whale-watching group was surprised to see a humpback whale with a small, pale newborn just outside The Spit seaway, soon after starting a tour from Main Beach on Monday morning. They followed the pair for a few minutes before noticing the mother was bleeding. 'When the mum rolled and showed us her belly, we saw a lot of blood on her body,' crew member Georgia Roberts said. Roberts said they then saw a 'burst of blood' before witnessing the placenta detach. 'We actually realised the placenta had floated to the surface and we all got an amazing look at it,' she said. It was the first time a humpback whale has been witnessed mid-birth on the Gold Coast. 'Super rare, super cool — being there to witness it firsthand was one of the most amazing experiences and I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to top it,' Roberts said. The sighting — and footage taken at the time — will now provide documented proof for scientists who had long believed the Gold Coast is a birthing ground for humpback whales. A humpback whale has been witnessed mid-birth off the Gold Coast. Credit: Sea World Humpback whales migrate from their usual habitat in Antarctic waters to warmer waters off northern Australia, including the Gold Coast, where they care for their young over winter. While it has long been presumed many of these calves were born in Gold Coast waters — and not just en route — a local birth has never before been documented. Gold Coast Newborn Calf Study founding researcher Laura Torre, who has been studying humpback calves since 2013, said Monday's sighting 'is huge news scientifically which will be published'. 'We can now confidently say the Gold Coast is a birthing area as well as a calf-care area,' she said. 'Yesterday we witnessed a placenta detach from the mother, which means she had given birth just before the boat arrived that morning.' The pale newborn calf was seen sticking close to its mother. Credit: Sea World Newborn calves lay on top of their mothers, or glide next to them, for the first weeks of life until they get stronger and their muscles develop. 'Babies do not have much swimming ability, so (boats) all need to go slow for the newborns here in June, July and August,' Torres said. Since 2013 there have been more than 300 humpback whale calves documented on the Gold Coast, where mothers spend time nursing and nurturing their young before returning south to Antarctica.
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2 days ago
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‘Super rare' sight as surprised whale watchers bear witness to humpback calf's birth off The Spit seaway on the Gold Coast
A humpback whale has been spotted mid-birth in an extremely rare sighting off Queensland's Gold Coast. A Sea World whale-watching group was surprised to see a humpback whale with a small, pale newborn just outside The Spit seaway, soon after starting a tour from Main Beach on Monday morning. They followed the pair for a few minutes before noticing the mother was bleeding. 'When the mum rolled and showed us her belly, we saw a lot of blood on her body,' crew member Georgia Roberts said. Roberts said they then saw a 'burst of blood' before witnessing the placenta detach. 'We actually realised the placenta had floated to the surface and we all got an amazing look at it,' she said. It was the first time a humpback whale has been witnessed mid-birth on the Gold Coast. 'Super rare, super cool — being there to witness it firsthand was one of the most amazing experiences and I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to top it,' Roberts said. The sighting — and footage taken at the time — will now provide documented proof for scientists who had long believed the Gold Coast is a birthing ground for humpback whales. Humpback whales migrate from their usual habitat in Antarctic waters to warmer waters off northern Australia, including the Gold Coast, where they care for their young over winter. While it has long been presumed many of these calves were born in Gold Coast waters — and not just en route — a local birth has never before been documented. Gold Coast Newborn Calf Study founding researcher Laura Torre, who has been studying humpback calves since 2013, said Monday's sighting 'is huge news scientifically which will be published'. 'We can now confidently say the Gold Coast is a birthing area as well as a calf-care area,' she said. 'Yesterday we witnessed a placenta detach from the mother, which means she had given birth just before the boat arrived that morning.' Newborn calves lay on top of their mothers, or glide next to them, for the first weeks of life until they get stronger and their muscles develop. 'Babies do not have much swimming ability, so (boats) all need to go slow for the newborns here in June, July and August,' Torres said. Since 2013 there have been more than 300 humpback whale calves documented on the Gold Coast, where mothers spend time nursing and nurturing their young before returning south to Antarctica.
The Advertiser
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Really low summer sea ice is also associated with more icebergs breaking away from the coastline. Years with the least summer sea ice have produced more than twice as many icebergs as the years with the most summer sea ice. Lead author of the study, the AAPP's Edward Doddridge, said up until about 2015, sea ice was around average or even a bit above. "But since 2016 it has been consistently low, and the last few years have been extraordinarily low," he said during a media briefing. The wide-ranging study into the consequences of sea ice loss lands as uncertainty clouds the future of global climate science under the Trump administration. Dr Doddridge said the US Department of Defense planned to stop sharing its global sea ice coverage satellite data with the international community. The uncertainty was "deeply concerning", the sea ice scientist said, but other country's satellites would continue to supply some information. Other Australian-based climate researchers have been alert to risks hanging over earth observation data and climate modelling, given the US has traditionally played a major role. Christian Jakob, director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, was worried about the growing possibility of losing access to the satellite data that was key to global cloud coverage research. Cloud cover shrinkage is thought to be contributing to unexpectedly fast warming. "If those satellites were not renewed, if there were no successors to these satellite missions, then some of the information we have will disappear," Professor Jakob told AAP. Research into the impacts of sea ice loss highlights a number of knowledge gaps but report co-author Will Hobbs, also from the University of Tasmania's AAPP, said the findings supported a rapid transition to net zero. 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Tougher conditions for ships supplying Antarctic missions are also a problem with low ice coverage, the international study led by Australian Antarctic Program Partnership researchers has found. Really low summer sea ice is also associated with more icebergs breaking away from the coastline. Years with the least summer sea ice have produced more than twice as many icebergs as the years with the most summer sea ice. Lead author of the study, the AAPP's Edward Doddridge, said up until about 2015, sea ice was around average or even a bit above. "But since 2016 it has been consistently low, and the last few years have been extraordinarily low," he said during a media briefing. The wide-ranging study into the consequences of sea ice loss lands as uncertainty clouds the future of global climate science under the Trump administration. Dr Doddridge said the US Department of Defense planned to stop sharing its global sea ice coverage satellite data with the international community. The uncertainty was "deeply concerning", the sea ice scientist said, but other country's satellites would continue to supply some information. Other Australian-based climate researchers have been alert to risks hanging over earth observation data and climate modelling, given the US has traditionally played a major role. Christian Jakob, director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, was worried about the growing possibility of losing access to the satellite data that was key to global cloud coverage research. Cloud cover shrinkage is thought to be contributing to unexpectedly fast warming. "If those satellites were not renewed, if there were no successors to these satellite missions, then some of the information we have will disappear," Professor Jakob told AAP. Research into the impacts of sea ice loss highlights a number of knowledge gaps but report co-author Will Hobbs, also from the University of Tasmania's AAPP, said the findings supported a rapid transition to net zero. "Climate projections indicate that continued greenhouse gas emissions will accelerate the changes in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean that we're already seeing, and exacerbate the far-reaching negative impacts of sea-ice loss," Dr Hobbs said. Extreme sea ice loss in Antarctica over the past few years is leading to higher ocean temperatures, more icebergs and habitat dangers for penguins. The oceans surrounding the southern continent have already been trending warmer than average and researchers say the ongoing loss of sea ice is contributing as dark water absorbs more sunlight without a reflective frozen barrier. Species like the Crabeater seal and Adelie penguin rely on sea ice for habitat, with the latter reliant on large chunks during their "catastrophic moult" period when they need to stay dry for weeks at a time. Less sea ice will make it harder for the penguins to find a suitable spot to shed their feathers, leaving them more exposed to predators. Tougher conditions for ships supplying Antarctic missions are also a problem with low ice coverage, the international study led by Australian Antarctic Program Partnership researchers has found. Really low summer sea ice is also associated with more icebergs breaking away from the coastline. Years with the least summer sea ice have produced more than twice as many icebergs as the years with the most summer sea ice. Lead author of the study, the AAPP's Edward Doddridge, said up until about 2015, sea ice was around average or even a bit above. "But since 2016 it has been consistently low, and the last few years have been extraordinarily low," he said during a media briefing. The wide-ranging study into the consequences of sea ice loss lands as uncertainty clouds the future of global climate science under the Trump administration. Dr Doddridge said the US Department of Defense planned to stop sharing its global sea ice coverage satellite data with the international community. The uncertainty was "deeply concerning", the sea ice scientist said, but other country's satellites would continue to supply some information. Other Australian-based climate researchers have been alert to risks hanging over earth observation data and climate modelling, given the US has traditionally played a major role. Christian Jakob, director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, was worried about the growing possibility of losing access to the satellite data that was key to global cloud coverage research. Cloud cover shrinkage is thought to be contributing to unexpectedly fast warming. "If those satellites were not renewed, if there were no successors to these satellite missions, then some of the information we have will disappear," Professor Jakob told AAP. Research into the impacts of sea ice loss highlights a number of knowledge gaps but report co-author Will Hobbs, also from the University of Tasmania's AAPP, said the findings supported a rapid transition to net zero. "Climate projections indicate that continued greenhouse gas emissions will accelerate the changes in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean that we're already seeing, and exacerbate the far-reaching negative impacts of sea-ice loss," Dr Hobbs said. Extreme sea ice loss in Antarctica over the past few years is leading to higher ocean temperatures, more icebergs and habitat dangers for penguins. The oceans surrounding the southern continent have already been trending warmer than average and researchers say the ongoing loss of sea ice is contributing as dark water absorbs more sunlight without a reflective frozen barrier. Species like the Crabeater seal and Adelie penguin rely on sea ice for habitat, with the latter reliant on large chunks during their "catastrophic moult" period when they need to stay dry for weeks at a time. Less sea ice will make it harder for the penguins to find a suitable spot to shed their feathers, leaving them more exposed to predators. Tougher conditions for ships supplying Antarctic missions are also a problem with low ice coverage, the international study led by Australian Antarctic Program Partnership researchers has found. Really low summer sea ice is also associated with more icebergs breaking away from the coastline. Years with the least summer sea ice have produced more than twice as many icebergs as the years with the most summer sea ice. Lead author of the study, the AAPP's Edward Doddridge, said up until about 2015, sea ice was around average or even a bit above. "But since 2016 it has been consistently low, and the last few years have been extraordinarily low," he said during a media briefing. The wide-ranging study into the consequences of sea ice loss lands as uncertainty clouds the future of global climate science under the Trump administration. Dr Doddridge said the US Department of Defense planned to stop sharing its global sea ice coverage satellite data with the international community. The uncertainty was "deeply concerning", the sea ice scientist said, but other country's satellites would continue to supply some information. Other Australian-based climate researchers have been alert to risks hanging over earth observation data and climate modelling, given the US has traditionally played a major role. Christian Jakob, director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, was worried about the growing possibility of losing access to the satellite data that was key to global cloud coverage research. Cloud cover shrinkage is thought to be contributing to unexpectedly fast warming. "If those satellites were not renewed, if there were no successors to these satellite missions, then some of the information we have will disappear," Professor Jakob told AAP. Research into the impacts of sea ice loss highlights a number of knowledge gaps but report co-author Will Hobbs, also from the University of Tasmania's AAPP, said the findings supported a rapid transition to net zero. "Climate projections indicate that continued greenhouse gas emissions will accelerate the changes in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean that we're already seeing, and exacerbate the far-reaching negative impacts of sea-ice loss," Dr Hobbs said.
