#2- The Hearty Right Whale

As I type, we are settling in to our field station in Lubec, Maine. Seasonal staff and interns are arriving, we are setting up our equipment and readying our boats. The weather looks bad for a few days, but we are hoping for our first day at sea after that. We are all excited and curious to see what is out in the Bay of Fundy.

Setting up our field station can take a few days!

But I am writing now to share some happy news! Back in January of 2013, the right whale community was stunned when a well known right whale, Wart (Catalog #1140), gave birth in or near Cape Cod Bay. Wart had the right time of year, but a very different location for most calving females who calve off Florida and Georgia. We were all concerned that the cold northern waters would be too much for the newborn. We knew the calf survived for at least several months as we reported on the Aquarium blog. But how would this little one do once separated from its mom?

Wart's 4 month old calf playing in Cape Cod Bay on April 28, 2013. Photo taken by Amy Knowlton/New England Aquarium under NOAA Permit #14233. 

Well, recently we discovered that Wart's 7th calf is doing just fine! It was seen on January 5, 2014 in Cape Cod Bay, and then several times on April 25th, 2014 still in Cape Cod Bay. It was feeding and looks very healthy.

Wart's 2013 calf #4340 feeding in Cape Cod Bay April 25th, 2014. Photo taken by Christy Hudak/Center for Coastal Studies under NOAA Permit #14603.

The photos were good enough that we were able to Catalog this whale as #4340. You can see photos and past and future sightings by searching for the Catalog number on the Catalog website.

Who knows, maybe #4340 will be waiting for us out there in the Bay of Fundy.

-Philip