Dozens of dead baby whales wash up on Argentina's coast
25.09.2026, DPA
Dozens of whale calves have washed up dead on beaches along Argentina's Valdés Peninsula, officials said.
A bacterial infection is currently considered the most likely cause, the government of Chubut province said this week. The bacterium can cause systemic disease in southern right whale calves. No evidence of a human-caused factor has been found so far.
Provincial authorities are investigating the strandings in collaboration with scientists.
The affected animals are southern right whales (Eubalaena australis), which migrate to the coasts of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay to breed and raise their young. Large numbers gather in the gulfs of northern Patagonia.
Mariano Coscarella, a scientist with Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), told the newspaper Página 12 that the mortality rate was "fairly high."
Authorities cautioned, however, that right whales die every year and that the current deaths could also form part of natural population dynamics. Mortality can vary considerably between and even within breeding seasons.
A bacterial infection remains the main working hypothesis, with similar outbreaks having been observed elsewhere in the world.
Important habitat and UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site
The Valdés Peninsula in Northern Patagonia, covering some 4,000 square kilometres, is an important refuge for marine mammals. Thousands of sea lions, elephant seals and numerous species of whale come to the coastal waters during the breeding and rearing season.
Two ocean currents converge there, creating nutrient-rich waters. The peninsula was designated a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 1999.
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