Kai Learn where sharks dine, what's on their menu, what threatens them and why researchers study them.
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Following six decades of commercial exploitation, the humpback whale was in danger of extinction and was protected by the Marine Mammal Endangered Species Act in 1973. The new studies represent the most complete animal census to date, but it would be a mistake to assume that the trend will continue. We need a much longer window of time to monitor the animals, especially with their slow reproduction rate. Hawaiian waters comprise a major breeding ground long thought to play a crucial role in the recovery of the humpback whale, which has a relatively long gestation period of 12 months and rarely experiences multiple births. Based on these biological traits, earlier hypotheses for humpback recovery predicted the maximum recovery could not exceed an annual five percent rate.