Scientists Discovered an Unknown Baby Right Whale Off Canada. They Say It's a Cause for Joy
Researchers said the calf was likely born months earlier and went undetected during spring and summer surveys, raising this season’s tally to 24.
- Researchers with the Mingan Island Cetacean Study identified a newborn North Atlantic Right whale calf off Anticosti Island, Quebec, in September, swimming with its mother, a 38-year-old whale known as Silt.
- Although it seems difficult to miss a 15,000-pound calf, scientists missed the whale during winter surveys despite the North Atlantic Right population remaining critically low at only about 380 individuals worldwide.
- This discovery brings the total count of baby whales from the most recent birthing season to 24, the highest since 2009, though scientists note only about 70 reproductive-age females remain in the population.
- "This is an exciting discovery for us so late in the year," said Amy Warren, scientist at the New England Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center, as researchers determined the calf was likely born months ago.
- Recent years have been slightly more encouraging as whales regained population since 2020, though the species previously lost about 25% of its population between 2010 and 2020.
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Researchers in Canada have surprised images of an unidentified right whale in the North Atlantic, one of the rarest marine mammals in the world, on the coast of Quebec's Anticosti Island in the month...
Scientists discovered an unknown baby right whale off Canada. They say
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — It would seem difficult to miss a 15,000-pound (6,804-kilogram) baby, but for months scientists who study rare whales did just that, and now they couldn’t be happier. Researchers in Canada captured images of
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Scientists discovered an unknown baby right whale off Canada. They say it’s a cause for joy
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — It would seem difficult to miss a 15,000-pound (6,804-kilogram) baby, but for months scientists who study rare whales did just that, and now they couldn't be happier.
Scientists discovered an unknown baby right whale off Canada. They say it's a cause for joy
The discovery puts the number of baby right whales discovered from the most recent birthing season at 24, the New England Aquarium said. The whales number only about 380 in the world, and their population has fallen since 2010.
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