The first right whale calf of 2024 was spotted off Cape Cod this weekend.
The Center for Coastal Studies says they spotted the calf with her mother just north of Marshfield on Monday. The calf is estimated to be around 4 months old.
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Scientists say the Cape Cod Bay is one of the largest feeding grounds for right whales during winter and early spring.
The mother was identified as a 36-year-old that researchers have named Legato. Researchers have spotted 123 right whales in the bay so far.
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North Atlantic right whales are nearing extinction, according to NOAA Fisheries. As of early February, there were only about 360 left, with less than 70 reproductive females.
"We were just finishing a survey track line when we saw a right whale feeding less than a mile from the beach off North Marshfield. We flew over to document the animal and all cheered in excitement when a little calf popped up by its side! It’s always a relief to see right whale mothers arriving safely in Cape Cod Bay with their calves," Ryan Schosberg, an aerial observer and researcher with the Center for Coastal Studies, said.
