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The waters off the Costa Blanca have welcomed some extraordinary visitors this season. More than one hundred fin whales, the second largest animals on the planet, have been spotted cruising past during their annual migration.

 

This natural spectacle is part of a research campaign led by the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and Dénia is right at the heart of it. The UPV team has been tracking these gentle giants off the local coast and this year, they've managed to place satellite tags on three whales to help better understand where they're heading and how they move.

 

The team also used drones to snap identifying photos of 21 different whales and even collected two breath samples, without disturbing the animals, to learn more about their health and genetics.

 

Fin whales can grow up to 24 metres long and while they’re usually greyish with striking white bellies, each has a unique pattern near its head. They don’t have teeth, but instead filter-feed using bristly baleen plates. It’s these features that place them in the mysticete family, unlike their toothed cousins like dolphins.

 

The research team didn’t work alone. This year, they teamed up with the Tethys Research Institute and the sailing vessel Malizia Explorer, which anchored just off Denia and Xàbia. Together with UPV researchers Eduardo Belda and Víctor Gallego, they worked from both sea and land, keeping an eye on these migrating whales and collecting as much information as possible.

 

According to Belda and Gallego, fin whales have become something of a symbol for the local area, drawing attention from tourists and scientists alike.

 

"Our work seeks to better understand their presence and behaviour, with the goal of contributing to their conservation and the sustainable management of the area," they said.

 

And by all accounts, this year's campaign has been a great success. With three whales tagged and 21 identified, the waters off Dénia have once again proven to be a key stop on one of the most majestic journeys in the natural world.

 

 

Image: Wikimedia Commons