Off South Africa, nearly 300 humpback whales form what may be a record 'supergroup'

Nearly 300 humpback whales feeding together off South Africa’s west coast has produced what scientists believe could be a record “supergroup.” During a December outing, wildlife photographer Chris Fallows and author-naturalist Monique Fallows encountered the large aggregation and recorded 299 whales, according to the Associated Press. To avoid double-counting, they used photos of each whale’s uniquely patterned tail to identify individuals. Happywhale’s Africa coordinator Alex Vogel said the sighting appears to be the largest of its kind. Conservation relevance is central: the article notes Southern Hemisphere humpbacks rose from fewer than 10,000 during peak commercial whaling to more than 100,000 after the 1986 international moratorium, though threats like ship collisions and entanglement remain.