A surprisingly high number of whales were spotted in Californian waters in December

Jan 7, 2014 15:23 GMT  ·  By
Over 300 gray whales spotted swimming in Californian waters in last year's December
   Over 300 gray whales spotted swimming in Californian waters in last year's December

Conservationists will be glad to hear that, this past December, a surprisingly high number of gray whales were spotted swimming in the waters off Southern California's coast.

Thus, it appears that, when compared to the number of such marine mammals that visited these waters during the same period back in 2012, last year's headcount was twice as high, LA Times reports.

More precisely, 182 gray whales were documented in this area in 2012. In 2013, however, 364 marine mammals belonging to this species arrived in the region.

To put things into perspective, it must be said that, in December 2010, just 38 whales were seen swimming in these waters.

The same source details that, for the time being, specialists are unable to say why so many gray whales showed up off Southern California's coast in December 2013.

One possibility is that the marine mammals have changed their migration patterns. The other explanation is that the overall headcount for this endangered species has increased.

Then again, it might all be due to the fact that whale spotters had a better visibility within said time frame, and were therefore able to count more of these marine mammals.