Whale 'supergroups' show numbers are rebounding from hunting. But Iran war holds dangers for them

Whale 'supergroups' show numbers are rebounding from hunting highlights observations of humpback whales assembling in unusually large groups off South Africa. A South African couple, Chris and Monique Fallows, reported a “supergroup” of 299 humpback whales during a sighting off the west coast, described as multiple plumes of breath and spray in what one witness compared to a “Manhattan skyline.” The article explains scientists count individuals using tail, or fluke, photographs, since each tail is different, and references Alex Vogel of Happywhale, which uses citizen-supplied images for a global database. It links the pattern to recovery following the international whaling ban enacted in 1986, noting estimates rising from fewer than 10,000 whales at the height of whaling to more than 100,000 in recent assessments by the International Whaling Commission. The piece adds that humpbacks sometimes form supergroups in food-rich areas, with underwater sounds potentially drawing other whales.