With only about 360 North Atlantic right whales swimming in the seas, they're considered critically endangered, meaning they're just one category away from extinction. But a new video gives some hope for their future.
On Wednesday, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute shared a drone video of a 37-year-old female whale named Wolf swimming with her month-old calf in Cape Cod Bay.
"The species is dying faster than they can reproduce, largely due to entanglements in fishing gear and collisions with ships," the group said in the caption, adding, "every calf is vital to the species' recovery."
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, right whales have been a protected species since 1972, but their populations continue to decline. Additionally, adult right whales can grow up to 52 feet long and weigh up to 70 tons, which is about the size of a school bus.
How they got their name, according to NOAA, is that whale hunters considered them the "right" whale to hunt because they move slowly and float after they die. Other species tend to sink after they die.
Credit: NOAA
In an effort to protect marine mammals, WHOI said it's researching, developing, and actively deploying whale detection systems and on-demand fishing gear.
