More Marine Mammals

Southern Right Whales really were too big to fit onto the pages of At the Beach!
They are pretty special whales fighting their way back from near extinction.

This recent article http://www.stuff.co.nz/science/8514824/Southern-Right-Whale-sightings-on-the-rise says that between 2003 and 2010 there were 28 mother-calf pair sightings around New Zealand. This may not sound like many, but this is an increase in numbers from before 2003.

I wonder if they've counted a sighting by me and some friends off of Banks Peninsula back in 2009.

Fur seals are 'eared' seals

There wasn’t enough room in At the Beach to cover all of the interesting animals that we can find around our coastline. We included the most common animals that most people would have a chance to see in their local area. Unfortunately that meant marine mammals missed out.

Marine mammals are only occasional visitors where I live, maybe once a year I see a seal that has stopped for a rest on the beach or a whale passing by. But some places really suit New Zealand Fur Seals (kekeno). I was lucky to see some seal colonies near Kaikoura and at Doubtful Sound in January and February.

I’ve always wondered why seals in kids' cartoons and storybooks looked different from our seals. And I found out why from a guide on a Real Journeys Doubtful Sound trip.

New Zealand Fur Seals are in the family of ‘eared seals’, which means that their ears have flaps which you can clearly see in this photo.

Photo copyright Sue Monk