A humpback whale with a broken backbone was captured on camera by a drone photographer off the coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula in late December.
Alexander Schmidt (@alexsharks_) of Apex Ocean Divers (@apexoceandivers) said he spotted the whale on December 26 during an expedition off Cabo San Lucas, and noted that she had learned to use her pectoral fins “to push herself through the ocean.”
The crew determined that the whale was likely struck by a ship.
Schmidt said ship strikes on whales happen “on a daily basis” but can be avoided with help from groups such as the Pacific Whale Foundation and the Great Whale Conservancy, which “create pathways for ships to move without using the highly trafficked whale migration paths.” Credit: alexsharks_/apexoceandivers via Storyful
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