The world’s largest animal, the blue whale, has been spotted in “unprecedented numbers” in the waters around Antarctica – a sign that the critically endangered mammal could be staging a comeback. A team of researchers led by the British Antarctic Survey made 36 sightings of blue whales during their three-week survey earlier this year, identifying 55 animals – compared to just one sighting made during the 2018 survey.
The recent survey was the final of three expeditions to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, as part of a project to investigate the recovery of whales in the region. The population of blue whales in Antarctic waters is believed to be less than 1 per cent of its levels before whaling began in South Georgia in the early 20th century.
