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22 Nursing Mothers
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Finally, the mothers with yearlings or newly born calves head south, approximately nineteen days later, having spent a longer period in warmer waters than the rest of the migrating group. With the young whales in tow, these females travel more slowly, often stopping to rest and play.
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| ABOVE RIGHT: 'My Auntie' is an older female photographed here in 1997 with a new calf named 'Sagan'. She is easy to resight by the obvious and deep propeller marks on her left hand side. She also has a very odd shaped extended dorsal fin, no doubt from injuries sustained in the same encounter with a boat. We first saw her in 1994, again in 1995 and then in 1998. At each sighting she was surrounded by a mixed group of several sub-adults and young adults. Ongoing identification of the individuals with 'My Auntie' will help us understand the formation, composition and nature of such groupings.
(Photo: Trish Franklin)
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