Featured Image Credit:Sea to Shore Alliance/NOAA
A North Atlantic right whale calf was spotted off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida. That is exciting news for anyone that loves North Atlantic right whales.
No new calves were spotted last season, which was a depressing season for right whale researchers everywhere. The endangered whales have an extremely small population that is slowly dwindling.
The whales migrate from Canada and Maine down to Florida every year. Scientists carefully watch the migration. Last year, no right whales were spotted off the coast of Florida. While no calves were born last year, only 5 calves were born the year before. The small population is heading towards extinction fast, but this one calf represents hope for the future.
The calf was spotted with its mother swimming near the mouth of the St. Johns River. Frank Gromling, a member of the Marineland Right Whale Project, had this to say about the sighting, āIām excited and looking forward to seeing the new mom and her calf in the Volusia/Flagler area real soon. The real key is that this mother-calf pair is a strong indication that this year is going to be a more active calving season for us and l look forward to seeing bunches of new moms and calves.ā
Hopefully this will be a better year for right whales.
Read more from the source.