Less than a week into the North Atlantic right whale calving season, two newborn whales have been spotted, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources reports.
The first calf seen was born to a mother whale with the appropriately celebratory name of Champagne. The pair was spotted by an aerial survey team the day after Thanksgiving off Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. Champagne, named for the markings on her head that look like bubbles, is 17 and this her second known calf. The first was Wall-E, born in 2021.
The second mother/calf pair of the season was spotted about 4 nautical miles east of the St. Marys River entrance at the Florida/Georgia border on Dec. 3 by an aerial survey team from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute. The mother, nicknamed Millipede, is 21 years old and this is her third calf. She was named for a long superficial series of prop cuts, from a vessel strike, that look like the many legs of a millipede along her right side.
Her first known calf was only seen once and likely lost on the calving ground. Her second calf, born in 2021, is still seen regularly.
The state marine mammal of Georgia, North Atlantic right whales are one of the most imperiled large whales, with a population estimated in October at 384 individuals. These bus-sized mammals migrate more than 1,000 miles each fall from Canada and New England to the Southeast. The waters off Georgia, northeast Florida and South Carolina are considered their core calving area.
Calves are critical to the survival of the species. Eleven babies were identified in last year’s calving season, which runs through March. Scientists warn, however, that birth numbers must increase to about 50 per year if the species is to survive, given the rate of human-caused mortality and serious injury. The addition of 25-30 calves each year could stabilize the population.
The first right whale seen in Georgia waters this year was spotted off Jekyll Island on Nov. 14 by recreational boaters.
Researchers maintain a catalog of North Atlantic right whales that aids in identifying them and tracking their family trees. Researchers, including scientists at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, collect skin and blubber samples from whales to add information to the catalog. That’s how we know that Champagne has at least 11 siblings, nine on her maternal side and two on her paternal side. Her mom, Spindle, is the most prolific right whale in the known population, having given birth to 10 calves, and counting.
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute team flies its aerial surveys along the coast as weather permits from Nov. 15 to mid-March. They coordinate with Georgia DNR researchers on the water.
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