New research shows that Southern right whales are having fewer calves than before. Scientists say this is linked to climate change affecting the ocean.
Researchers from Australian universities studied over 30 years of data from Southern right whales in the Great Australian Bight.
They found that the time between births for female whales has increased from about every three years to every four years. This means the whales are having babies less often than before.
Scientists say this change is linked to warming oceans, melting sea ice, and changes in ocean food systems. As the Southern Ocean warms, there is less sea ice and fewer krill, which are tiny shrimp-like animals that whales eat in their Antarctic feeding grounds.
When food is scarce, whales are less healthy and less likely to breed often.
This trend is worrying experts because Southern right whales were once hunted nearly to extinction and have only slowly been recovering since whaling ended.
The slower rate of calving suggests that recovery may be slowing due to environmental changes.
Scientists say this is a warning sign of how climate change can impact large marine animals. They call for stronger conservation efforts and actions to protect whale feeding grounds.
