The North Atlantic right whale calving season has come to a close with the highest number of calves recorded since 2009.The annual calving season in the southeastern United States, which runs from
The North Atlantic right whale calving season has come to a close with the highest number of calves recorded since 2009.
The annual calving season in the southeastern United States, which runs from mid-November until mid-April, produced 23 mother-calf pairs, the fourth-highest count ever. It’s positive news for the critically endangered species with an estimated population of about 380.
Scientists with the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium have been tracking the season closely and were pleased to see shorter intervals between calving for the majority of the whale moms.
“While a healthy right whale can give birth every three to four years, we had been seeing nearly 10 years between calves for some females. Many of this year’s moms have had shorter intervals—18 of them previously gave birth within the last six years—giving us hope that they may be healthier and can help grow the population faster,” said Amy Warren, Scientific Program Officer in the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center.
Aerial survey teams from Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas conducted regular flights on the calving grounds throughout the season. By the end of the calving season, most of the right whales had begun migrating north.
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