Captivating moment enormous mother blue whale shields her calf from predators
HERE is the original Big Mama
The mother a calf swim alongside each other
The biggest mother that has ever lived swims through the oceans, keeping a watchful presence by her youngster's side.
These incredible scenes of a mother blue whale with her calf were captured by the Sea Shepherd ship "Steve Irwin" as it patrols the remote waters of the Southern Ocean.
The footage was captured as the ship takes part in Operation Icefish 2016, protecting whales from poaching activities as part of the Sea Shepherd's annual Southern Ocean Defence Campaign.
Filming this endangered Blue whale and her calf with a drone was unbelievable
A drone shot the intimate footage which shows the mother gently moving through the seas, sending up regular spouts of water from her blow hole, while her calf keeps a few yards from her side.
"Filming this endangered Blue whale and her calf with a drone was unbelievable," said Gavin Garrison, drone pilot and Steve Irwin crew member.
"Spotting a Blue whale from the deck of the Steve Irwin is a thrill, but being able to film the biggest animals on the planet from the air is truly awe-inspiring."
The 'Steve Irwin' captured the rare footage
Blue whales are the largest creature that has ever lived, growing up to 30 metres (98ft) long and weighing up to 100 tonnes.
The well-grown calf in these scenes could well measure more than 60ft.
The blue whale has been declared as endangered
The Captain of the Steve Irwin, Sid Chakravarty, gave his reaction to the incredible footage, saying: "To be on the front-lines of marine conservation is akin to being on a pendulum that swings between contrasting emotions.
"On one hand it means bearing witness to the exploding harpoons of the whalers, but on days like today, it means watching nature and beauty in motion."
Blue whales are the largest creature that has ever lived
Although blue whales are no longer commercially hunted, today's population is a fraction of early 20th Century numbers, having declined by as much as 90 per cent in three generations.
The blue whale has been declared as endangered on the IUCN Red List, while the Antarctic subspecies is criticallt endangered.