Strange Creatures

The apparition of a white calf is an unusual show very few people are lucky enough to appreciate during the whalewatching tours around the peninsula.

As usual, from May to December, the peninsula is visited by countless travelers yearning to see the southern right whales. These incredible mammals never miss such date. Every year, they approach the gulf to bear their calves.

But there is a really strange phenomenon that may rarely be contemplated: the white calves. One has to be there at the right moment in the right place. One of the lucky witnesses was our photographer, Jorge, who happened to be making a photographic production on board a whale watching motorboat. And there it was: a young white calf that stood out from the group of whales.

Unlike what one may think, these specimens are not albino. For this to happen, certain characteristics uncommon for right whales should be given.

  • Is an unusual show

    Is an unusual show

  • The right moment

    The right moment

  • These specimens are not albino

    These specimens are not albino

  • The lack of pigmentation in the skin

    The lack of pigmentation in the skin

In fact, the whitish appearance of these specimens takes place due to the lack of pigmentation in the skin which causes the epidermis to reflect the fat the animal has. This gives the calf a shocking white color. As time goes by, many specimens change their white color into a light brown shade. But they never acquire the dark tone of their peers.

Dr. Roger Payne, founder and president of the Whale Conservation Institute, has catalogued and recorded data about several white southern right whale specimens in his research reports about the population of cetaceous visiting the peninsula in various seasons.

Unaware of its singular features, the calf Jorge was photographing would play with its mother offering a real show for all viewers.

Autor Karina Jozami Fotografo Jorge González

Contact of the excursion or tour


Avistajes Bottazzi

1º Bajada al mar, Puerto Pirámides, Chubut, Agentina

Phone Phone: +54 280-4474110 Cell phone Cell phone: +54 280-4363690


Peke Sosa Avistajes

2º Bajada al mar, Puerto Pirámides, Chubut, Agentina

Phone Phone: +54 280-4495010


Southern Spirit- Yellow Submarine

1º Bajada al Mar, Puerto Pirámides, Chubut, Agentina

Phone Phone: +54 280-4495094 Cell phone Cell phone: +54 280-4572551

Location


Things to do in Puerto Pirámides

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