Two new right whale calves spotted in two days makes for an exciting start to February for one of our most endangered whale species.
Seen hundreds of miles apart, the newest right whales were born to moms Accordion and Cashew.
A new mom in dangerous waters
Accordion, a first time mom, was spotted with her calf off the coast of New York and New Jersey on February 3. Accordion’s life history is a bit of a mystery: she was first spotted as a juvenile, so we don’t know exactly how old she is (experts think she’s 14-17 years old), or which other right whales she’s related to. The mystery continues with this calf: it’s pretty unusual for right whale moms to give birth in the much colder northern waters, so scientists are unsure if she decided to brave the cold and give birth off the Jersey Shore, or if she managed to evade detection on her way to and from the much more inviting waters off the coast of Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.
While we don’t know as much about Accordion’s earliest years, we do know that she’s a survivor: her name comes from scars across her back that she got from a boat propeller, and she’s managed to free herself from two minor entanglements. She and her calf were spotted in one of the more risky parts of the mid-Atlantic, near the shipping lanes of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Since this is a known right whale hotspot during the winter, large ships are required to slow down to reduce the risk of hitting a right whale.
Given how vulnerable Accordion and her calf will be in the coming weeks as they stick near the surface so the calf can thrive, let’s hope all mariners in the area are slowing down and keeping their eyes peeled to avoid an accident. If she can avoid the boats, hopefully Accordion and her calf will be able to thrive even in the cold northern winter.
A large right whale family welcomes its newest member
Our other new right whale calf is basking in much warmer waters: Cashew and her calf were spotted off the coast of Florida on February 5 in right whales’ traditional calving grounds. In contrast to Accordion, we know a lot about Cashew: she was born in 2002 to mom Amanda and dad Mohawk, giving her 7 siblings and 7 nieces or nephews. She’s had two other calves herself, one of which is still alive. Her name came to her from far less traumatic origins: right whales have raised, rough skin patches along their faces called callosities that help scientists identify whales when they spot them from above. In Cashew’s case, she’s named for one of her patches that looks like a cashew.
While there are a lot of differences between Cashew and Accordion’s stories, one thing is sadly similar: Cashew’s life has also been touched by entanglements–she’s survived 3 known entanglements, and her big family has faced a combined 24.
9 new right whale calves is good news, but we’re hoping for even more
News of these two new right whale calves is certainly grounds for celebration, and there’s still a couple months left in the calving season for us to spot more. Still, with the species only numbering around 370, scientists say right whales need to have 50 or more calves per year to allow the population to recover.
This means right whale moms would need to give birth younger and more frequently. Right now, North Atlantic right whale moms are expected to give birth to only 3 calves over their lifetime, while their closely related southern cousins can give birth to more than 20. Because North Atlantic right whales are stressed out by boat strikes, entanglement and noise, they give birth later in life and wait longer between calves. Combined with their shorter lifespans, this means the species isn’t having enough babies to bring it back from the brink of extinction.
But this also means that if we reduce the stress right whale moms face, and ensure that they can live longer lives by eliminating the risks of entanglements and ship strikes, the species can bounce back fast.
If we do, future calving seasons might be full of news of ever more mothers and calves dotting our coastline.
