The calf was initially photographed near Quebec by the Mingan Island Cetacean Study and later verified through photographic analysis by the New England Aquarium. Because the pair avoided detection during regular winter surveys off the southeastern United States, researchers only recently added the newborn to official tallies. While having roughly 70 breeding females makes every successful birth significant, warming ocean waters are driving the whales into active commercial fishing lanes and heavy vessel traffic.
Key points
Achieving a total of 24 calves makes this the most prolific right whale birthing season d…: Achieving a total of 24 calves makes this the most prolific right whale birthing season documented since 2009.
Climate-driven shifts in prey distributions increasingly force right whales outside estab…: Climate-driven shifts in prey distributions increasingly force right whales outside established protection zones and into dangerous waters.
Entanglements in commercial fishing gear and vessel strikes remain the primary human-caus…: Entanglements in commercial fishing gear and vessel strikes remain the primary human-caused threats impeding the species' survival.
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Scientists have confirmed that a North Atlantic right whale calf spotted off Quebec in September was a previously uncounted baby from the most recent calving season, raising the season’s total to 24. The discovery, reported by the Associated Press (AP) and confirmed through analysis by the New England Aquarium, is a rare bright spot for one of the world’s most endangered large whales, whose global population is estimated at only about 380 animals.
The calf was photographed beside its 38-year-old mother, a whale researchers know as Silt, near Anticosti Island in Quebec. Researchers with the Mingan Island Cetacean Study first recorded the pair, and scientists later matched photographs and data to determine that the young whale had escaped detection during the winter surveys normally used to document right whale births.
A welcome surprise
North Atlantic right whales are so rare and so closely watched that researchers usually identify calves soon after they are born. The whales give birth in the warmer waters off the southeastern United States during winter, then migrate north to feeding grounds off New England and Canada…
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