Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
A very long day of humpback whale work off Saldanha Bay had it’s ups and downs: broken equipment -- fixed equipment -- tags on! -- tag fell off :( -- tag back on! -- not many whales -- then lots of whales! -- then the tag didn’t release as planned and so we got a little stuck out there...waiting waiting waiting...
But at 1730..heading slowly south we found these big boys!! Completely in stealth mode...humpback whales didn't react at all.
Two big males, multiple females and juveniles and 1 wee calf
...they gave us the run around and we nearly lost them a few times before they settled down and started heading out westwards into the setting sun...
We managed to get close a few times to get good photos and collect 3 biopsy samples which a contributing to Aaron Barnes’ PhD work
The group included multiple known animals and resightings with recent ‘west coast’ humpback whales (full matching results still down the line), including one with a ‘hump’ from scoliosis which was first seen back in 2009 taking out common dolphins in False Bay! These images contribute to our growing photo ID mark-recapture study. Great end to a great day.
A very long day of humpback whale work off Saldanha Bay had it’s ups and downs: broken equipment -- fixed equipment -- tags on! -- tag fell off :( -- tag back on! -- not many whales -- then lots of whales! -- then the tag didn’t release as planned and so we got a little stuck out there...waiting waiting waiting...
But at 1730..heading slowly south we found these big boys!! Completely in stealth mode...humpback whales didn't react at all.
Two big males, multiple females and juveniles and 1 wee calf
...they gave us the run around and we nearly lost them a few times before they settled down and started heading out westwards into the setting sun...
We managed to get close a few times to get good photos and collect 3 biopsy samples which a contributing to Aaron Barnes’ PhD work
The group included multiple known animals and resightings with recent ‘west coast’ humpback whales (full matching results still down the line), including one with a ‘hump’ from scoliosis which was first seen back in 2009 taking out common dolphins in False Bay! These images contribute to our growing photo ID mark-recapture study. Great end to a great day.
![[SPAW2023] Ears and hearing in terrestrial mammals, reptiles and frogs Prof. Jakob Dalsgaard](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qu160nfQzcY/mqdefault.jpg "[SPAW2023] Ears and hearing in terrestrial mammals, reptiles and frogs Prof. Jakob Dalsgaard
The Sound Perception in Animals Workshop 2023 arose from the idea of bringing highly qualified experts in bioacoustics to promote capacity building for South African students and researchers on the topic. The event was possible due to the collaboration between the African Bioacoustics Community through Sea Search Research and Conservation and the University of Southern Denmark, taking place at the Shark Spotters venue, in Muizenberg, Cape Town, on the 17th of May 2023.
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