Tony Wu / Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), group socialising in shallow water, aerial view. Part of larger group of more than 50 whales congregating, Sea of Okhotsk sub-population, Russia.

Nick Hawkins / North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) tail fluke, diving to feed in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Canada. Endangered species. July

David Gallan / Two Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) playing in shallows, taken with drone, Tathra Beach, New South Wales, Australia, August.

Gabriel Rojo / Southern Right whale (Eubalaena australis) breaching, Peninsula Valdes, Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina.

Chris & Monique Fallows / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) breaching, False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa.

Chris & Monique Fallows / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) spyhopping, False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa.

Chris & Monique Fallows / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) close up feeding on plankton at surface, False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa; with barnacles on head

Franco Banfi / Silhouette of Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) Golfo Nuevo, Peninsula Valdes, UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina, Atlantic Ocean, October

Franco Banfi / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) with patches covered in parasitic crustaceans named cyamids or whale lice (Cyamus ovalis). Golfo Nuevo, Peninsula Valdes, UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site,...

Franco Banfi / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) with calluses covered in parasitic crustaceans named cyamids or whale lice (Cyamus ovalis). Golfo Nuevo, Peninsula Valdes, UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site...

Franco Banfi / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) with patches covered in parasitic crustaceans named cyamids or whale lice (Cyamus ovalis). Golfo Nuevo, Peninsula Valdes, UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site,...

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view of Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis / Balaena glacialis australis) mother and calf. Valdes Peninsula, Patagonia, Argentina, Oct 2008

Juan Carlos Munoz / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis / Balaena glacialis australis) flipping its tail out of the water. Valdes Peninsula, Patagonia, Argentina, Oct 2008

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view of Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis / Balaena glacialis australis) mother and calf. Valdes Peninsula, Patagonia, Argentina, Oct 2008

Juan Carlos Munoz / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis / Balaena glacialis australis) entering the water after breaching. Valdes Peninsula, Patagonia, Argentina, Oct 2008

Steven Kazlowski / Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) swimming amidst multi-layer ice (freshwater pans formed over many years where the salt is squeezed out of the ice) offshore from Point Barrow. Chukchi Sea, Arctic Al...

DOC WHITE / Southern right whales (Balaena glacialis australis) Pacific

DOC WHITE / Southern right whale breaching (Balaena glacialis australis) Patagonia Argentina

DOC WHITE / Southern right whale (Balaena glacialis australis) close-up underwarer, Patagonia, Argentina

Doug Perrine / Southern right whale {Balaena glacialis australis} South Atlantic.

Doug Perrine / Southern right whale {Balaena glacialis australis} at surface, barnacles on skin, Atlantic.

Doug Perrine / Southern right whale {Balaena glacialis australis} calf. White colour morph. Atlantic.

Doug Perrine / Southern right whale {Balaena glacialis australis} feeding showing baleen. Atlantic.

Flip Nicklin / Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) tail, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada

Flip Nicklin / Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) noses the kayak of biologist Kerry Finley, Isabella Bay, Baffin Island, Canada

DOC WHITE / Aerial view of bowhead whale {Balaena mysticetus} showing large crown (hump) around blowhole, Canadian Arctic

Gabriel Rojo / Southern right whale pectoral fin {Balaena glacialis australis} Patagonia, Argentina

Martha Holmes / Bowhead whale just under ice, Arctic

Pete Oxford / Southern right whale breaching. Peninsula Valdes, Argentina, South America

Pete Oxford / Southern right whale breaching. Peninsula Valdes, Argentina, South America

Doug Allan / Eye of Southern right whale {Balaena glacialis australis} Peninsula Valdez, Argentina

Doug Allan / Southern right whale underwater {Balaena glacialis australis} off Peninsula Valdes, Argentina

Martha Holmes / Bowhead whale releasing breathing out underwater {Balaena mysticetus} Arctic

DOC WHITE / Southern right whale close up underwater, off Patagonia, S. America

Franco Banfi / Camp with tents on beach in Vrangel Bay where Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) congregate every summer. Primorsky Krai, Russia. August 2019.

Franco Banfi / Photographic equipment ready inside tent in Vrangel Bay where Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) congregate every summer. Primorsky Krai, Russia. August 2019.

Franco Banfi / Diving fins resting against tent on beach with coniferous forest in background. In Vrangel Bay where Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) congregate in summer. Primorsky Krai, Russia. August 2019.

Franco Banfi / Outdoor kitchen on camp in Vrangel Bay where Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) congregate in summer. Primorsky Krai, Russia. August 2019.

Franco Banfi / Sauna hut / banja and logpile at camp in Vrangel Bay where Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) congregate every summer. Primorsky Krai, Russia. August 2019.

Franco Banfi / Person in river flowing through beach. Camp with tents in background, gathering to watch yearly congregation of Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus). Primorsky Krai, Russia. August 2019.

Franco Banfi / Woman paddleboarding close to Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus). Vrangel Bay, Primorsky Krai, Russia. August 2019.

Franco Banfi / Woman paddleboarding in Vrangel Bay to get close to Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus). Primorsky Krai, Russia. August 2019.

Franco Banfi / Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) swimming in coastal waters, aerial view. Vrangel Bay, Primorsky Krai, Russia. August 2019.

Franco Banfi / Beach and river estuary, boreal forest in background, aerial view. Camp on beach, gathering to watch Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) congregation. Vrangel Bay, Primorsky Krai, Russia. August 2019.

Franco Banfi / Camp in small bay, gathering to watchc congregation of Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus), boreal forest in background, aerial view. Vrangel Bay, Primorsky Krai, Russia. August 2019.

Franco Banfi / Drawing of Whale in sand, beach in Vrangel Bay where Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) congregate every summer. Primorsky Krai, Russia. August.

Franco Banfi / Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) swimming at surface, flipper visible. Vrangel Bay, Primorsky Krai, Russia. August 2019.

Franco Banfi / Camp on beach at full moon, in Vrangel Bay where Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) congregate during summer. Primorsky Krai, Russia. August 2019.

Franco Banfi / Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), two swimming in shallow water. Vrangel Bay, Primorsky Krai, Russia. August.

Tony Wu / Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), five whales socialising in shallow water, aerial view. Sea of Okhotsk, Russia.

Gabriel Rojo / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) female and calf swimming at water surface. Valdes Peninsula, Patagonia, Argentina. October.

Gabriel Rojo / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) expelling air and spray through blow hole. Valdes Peninsula, Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina. October.

Nick Hawkins / North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) peers out of the surface as it competes with other males for access to a female. Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Canada. Endangered. July

Tony Wu / Aerial view of Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) female with calf in shallow coastal water, South Africa, Indian Ocean.

Gabriel Rojo / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) breaching, Peninsula Valdes, Patagonia, Argentina.

Gabriel Rojo / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) breaching, Peninsula Valdes, Patagonia, Argentina.

Gabriel Rojo / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) breaching, Peninsula Valdes, Patagonia, Argentina.

Gabriel Rojo / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) albino surfacing, Peninsula Valdes, Patagonia, Argentina.

Gabriel Rojo / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) surfacing, blow hole visible, Peninsula Valdes, , Patagonia, Argentina.

Gabriel Rojo / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) tail fluke, Peninsula Valdes, Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina.

Nick Hawkins / North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) fluke Bay of Fundy, Canada, September.

Nick Hawkins / North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) tail fluke ,in the Bay of Fundy, Canada, September.

Nick Hawkins / North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) tail fluke, Bay of Fundy, Canada, September.

Nick Hawkins / North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) surfacing, Bay of Fundy, Canada, September.

Nick Hawkins / North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) tail fluke, Bay of Fundy, Canada, September.

Nick Hawkins / North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) tail fluke, Bay of Fundy, Canada.

Nick Hawkins / North Atlantic right whales ( Eubalaena glacialis) group engaged in courtship behaviour, Bay of Fundy, Canada, September.

Nick Hawkins / North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) tail flukes, Bay of Fundy, Canada, September.

Nick Hawkins / North Atlantic right whales ( Eubalaena glacialis) group engaged in courtship behaviour, Bay of Fundy, Canada, September.

Nick Hawkins / North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) tail fluke with severe entanglement scars. Bay of Fundy, Canada, September.

Nick Hawkins / North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) breaching, Bay of Fundy, Canada, September.

Nick Hawkins / Aerial view of a North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) feeding, Bay of Fundy, Canada, September.

Nick Hawkins / Aerial view of a North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), Bay of Fundy, Canada, September

Nick Hawkins / North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) with entanglement scars on the tail, aerial view, Bay of Fundy, Canada, September,.

Tony Wu / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) breaching. South Africa. Indian Ocean.

Gabriel Rojo / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) at surface, Peninsula Valdes, Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina

Gabriel Rojo / Southern Right whale (Eubalaena australis) at surface Peninsula Valdes, Chubut, Patagonia,Argentina

Gabriel Rojo / Southern Right whale (Eubalaena Australis) Peninsula Valdes, Chubut-Patagonia , Argentina

Hiroya Minakuchi / Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) bones, Spitzbergen, Svalbard, Norway

Tony Wu / Whale louse (Cyamus ovalis) on a Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) South Africa. Photographed with the permission of the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa.

Tony Wu / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) male brindle calf at surface, born with white and black pigmentation, photographed with the permission of the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Afri...

Tony Wu / Whale louse (Cyamus ovalis) on hand to show scale, came from a Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) South Africa. Photographed with the permission of the Department of Environmental Affairs, Sou...

Tony Wu / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) lifting a pectoral fin out of the water near shore, photographed with the permission of the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa, August

Tony Wu / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) fluke marked by injuries that appear to be the result of a propellor strike from a boat traveling at high speed, photographed with the permission of the Depa...

Tony Wu / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) inquisitive adult approaching to observe diver, note the callosity above the whales eye, which is populated by other organisms, including whale lice (Cyamus...

Tony Wu / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) at surface showing callosity on head with huge number of Whale lice (Cyamus ovalis) amongst other organisms, photographed with the permission of the Departme...

Tony Wu / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) calf resting its head on top of its mother, already with Whale lice (Cyamus ovalis) on its skin, photographed with the permission of the Department of Enviro...

Tony Wu / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) looking down on calf's head showing the development of callosities with whale lice (Cyamis ovalis) photographed with the permission of the Department of Envi...

Tony Wu / Southern right whale (Eubalena australis) with mouth open at the ocean surface, baleen clearly visible, photographed with the permission of the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa.

Tony Wu / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) swimming just under the ocean surface, callosities clearly visible and individual to that whale (used for identification) photographed with the permission of...

Tony Wu / Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) aerial view of three adullts engaged in social activity, photographed with the permission of the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa.

Tony Wu / Researcher reaching over to take samples of Whale lice (Cyamus ovalis) from one of the callosities on Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) at surface, photographed with the permission of the Dep...

Chris & Monique Fallows / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) feeding on the surface with barnacles on top of head, and baleen plates visible, De Hoop, South Africa, March.

Chris & Monique Fallows / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) black and white image, De Hoop, South Africa, March.

Steven Kazlowski / Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) sow with two cubs walking past a pile of Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) bones, Kaktovik, Barter Island, 1002 Area, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, North Slope, Alaska...

Aflo / Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) near surface at twilight, Valdes Peninsula, Argentina.