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Conservation & Awareness
Right and His Friends Need Your Help!
North Atlantic Right Whales live in the Atlantic Ocean, spending their winters off the coast of the southeast United States and their summers in waters offshore New England, including Cape Cod Bay and around the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. These giants can grow up to 55 feet (17 m) long, which is about the size of a big yellow school bus! They get that big by eating zooplankton (teeny tiny sea creatures), small fish, and krill which they catch in their baleens, which are like fine toothed combs that pick food out of the water that the whales swim through. Right whales have callosities, rough patches of white skin, on their head and body that are individual to each whale and can be used to identify them.
There used to be a lot of right whales, but people hunted them for their oil and baleens until there were almost none left. Currently, there are fewer than 500 right whales, which means that they are endangered and could go extinct forever. While the hunting of right whales has been illegal since 1949, they still face danger from getting tangled in fishing lines or getting hit by boats while they are swimming. But scientists and other concerned people have been trying to understand the whales better and make sure that they are safe. You can help too by learning about marine life and taking steps to protect our seafaring neighbors.
To help, or for more information and additional resources, please visit the websites below:
Conservation & Awareness
Right and His Friends Need Your Help!
North Atlantic Right Whales live in the Atlantic Ocean, spending their winters off the coast of the southeast United States and their summers in waters offshore New England, including Cape Cod Bay and around the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. These giants can grow up to 55 feet (17 m) long, which is about the size of a big yellow school bus! They get that big by eating zooplankton (teeny tiny sea creatures), small fish, and krill which they catch in their baleens, which are like fine toothed combs that pick food out of the water that the whales swim through. Right whales have callosities, rough patches of white skin, on their head and body that are individual to each whale and can be used to identify them.
There used to be a lot of right whales, but people hunted them for their oil and baleens until there were almost none left. Currently, there are fewer than 500 right whales, which means that they are endangered and could go extinct forever. While the hunting of right whales has been illegal since 1949, they still face danger from getting tangled in fishing lines or getting hit by boats while they are swimming. But scientists and other concerned people have been trying to understand the whales better and make sure that they are safe. You can help too by learning about marine life and taking steps to protect our seafaring neighbors.
To help, or for more information and additional resources, please visit the websites below:
