The Northern Right Whale

In the spring, summer, and fall North Atlantic Right Whales feed off the Canadian and northeast coastlines. From New York to Nova Scotia these mighty giants skim the waters with their mouths open. Their baleen plates filter the water and their prey in a magnificent manner. Naturally there needs to be enough prey to spark the right whales interest. The prey must be large enough for the baleen plates to filter it and small enough that it can not swim away.

Right whales have a bow-shaped lower jaw and a head that is up to one-quarter of the body length. Adult right whales may reach a weight of 60 tons and be almost 50 feet in length. Their calves will weigh approximately 1 ton at birth. These mighty giants have no dorsal fin and they breathe through two blowholes on the top of their heads. The right whales blowholes create a unique V-shaped blow, which also helps researchers identify the whales from a distance.

Image Credit: /"http://www.suitesonthebeach.com/" target="_blank">Suites On The Beach

Commercial whaling in the late 19th century almost drove Right Whales to extinction. In 1935 the commercial harvest of these gentle giants was banned. Today the North Atlantic right whale is classified as endangered under both United States and Georgia law. Georgia adopted the right whale as its state mammal in 1985.

Although not hunted now, right whales face survival problems ship strikes, entanglement in commercial fishing gear and habitat destruction. Even after nearly 50 years of protected status, there are only an estimated 300 to 400 North Atlantic right whales today.

Image Credit: /http://ginisnaturenews.com/" target="_blank">Gini's Nature News

Savannah Now reports: "Surveyors based on St. Simons Island have spotted three North Atlantic right whale calves, each flanked by its mother, off the Georgia coast since December, marking the first sightings this migratory season."

Copyright by BevsPaper (Bev Owens) on January 4, 2010 for Northern Right Whales.