National Geographic Photographer Captures the Greatest Gathering of Fin Whales Ever Recorded
Can you imagine being in the right place at the right time and capturing something on film that has never been seen before? That's what happened to National Geographic wildlife photographer Bertie Gregory, and he discussed the experience in a short clip that Nat Geo shared on Monday, January 8th.
Bertie and his crew were out on a boat looking for fin whales in Antarctica, where they were looking for "super gatherings" of whales that were rumored to occur there. After a month on a tiny boat and terrible weather, and on one of their last days filming, they finally found a group of whales. Just wait until you see the ariel view - it's incredible!
Pretty cool huh? Not the part about living on a tiny boat with 11 men (that would be terrible!) or the part about getting in that freezing cold Antarctic water (you couldn't pay me to do that) but seeing all of those whales in one spot would be incredible! I tried to count, and there are at least 40 whales there. What a once in a lifetime experience! @National Geographic commenter @Kaetra1 said it best, "I'm so happy NatGeo is still here, bringing these windows to the world". I couldn't agree more!
Related: Diver's Encounter With Gigantic Sperm Whale Has TikTok Both Amazed and Terrified
Facts About Fin Whales
I had never heard of a fin whale before and know nothing about them, so I decided to do a little digging to see what I could learn. Turns out that fin whales are found in deep, offshore waters and can be found in both polar and tropical waters. They are one of the longest whales, second only to blue whales. They can grow to almost 90 feet long... that's the length of two school buses! According to Wikipedia, due to hunting in the 20th century, these whales are considered an endangered species. Wiki also said that feeding groups of whales gather and include up to a hundred of them at a time, which I guess would be called a super gathering. They eat small schools of fish (like mackarel) as well as squid and crabs, and the occasional small mammal.
Females reach sexual maturity at around 6 years old or so and will have a baby every few years. The calves stay with their moms for the first year of their lives. Incredibly, they have a lifespan of up to 90 years. Wow!
There are so many animals that live in the ocean that I have never even heard of and know nothing about. It's like a whole different world down there, and one that has always been fascinating to me. National Geographic has been helping us explore the world for more than a hundred years, and I'm so glad that they share it with all of us!
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