Scientists puzzled as baby whales wash up dead in Argentina
Scientists in Argentina are investigating an unusually high number of southern right whale calf deaths near the Peninsula Valdes breeding ground. Researchers suspect that kelp gulls, which peck at the whales' skin, may be causing injuries that lead to fatal bacterial infections in the vulnerable calves.
Why it matters
This event highlights a significant ecological threat to a recovering whale population, potentially disrupting long-term conservation efforts.
Scientists puzzled as baby whales wash up dead in Argentina left An aerial view of a boat pulling a dead southern right whale calf in Puerto Madryn, Argentina, September 28, 2026. AFP AFP https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/kdap2y/article71543682.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/AFP_C9KW26B.jpg MAXI JONAS TOPSHOT - Aerial view as a boat pulls a dead southern right whale calf (Eubalaena australis) in Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina on September 28, 2026. (Photo by MAXI JONAS / AFP) A team of biologists, veterinarians, and park rangers have been searching the area for the dead calves from shore and with boats, planes, and drones Investigators in Argentina are trying to solve the mystery of baby whales washing up dead in unusually high numbers along the country’s Patagonian coast. Scores of the calf carcasses have been washing ashore around Peninsula Valdes, a major breeding ground for southern right whales in Argentina’s Chubut province.
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