Southern right whales breeding in South Africa

My 2019 whale watching season that I spent with Dyer Island Cruises coincided with the Southern right whale breeding season. Every year from about July to November large numbers of these whales congregate in mating and calving grounds such as along the southern tip of South Africa. After a gestation period of 12-13 months, a calf of 4-5 metres in length is born. While the adults are engaged in mating or calving they will be fasting and living off their fat reserves. By the end of the calving season, lactating mothers would have lost a third of their body weight. Therefore, for the remainder of the year, Southern right whales will head to more productive subantarctic waters to feed and regain their massive weight of up to 80 tonnes. Did you know that right whales have the largest testes in the world?! Each one can reach up to 500kg!