Sightings & Photos
Photographs and sightings information beginning with the 2010
season are posted at
marinelandrightwhale.blogspot.com.
Right Whale Sightings
Right whales are sighted in near shore waters of Florida from December through March. Most sightings are mother/calf pairs. On occasion, we also see juveniles and groups. The whales are individually identifiable, based on the white markings (callosities inhabited by whale lice) on their heads. Photographs are archived in a catalog and database maintained by the New England Aquarium (see: www.neaq.org/rwcatalog). From this, the biology, history, and migrations of individual whales can be studied.
First Mother/Calf Pair for the 2009 Season!
The first mother/calf for the 2009 season was sighted close to shore in South Flagler Beach at just after 3:00 p.m. on 14 January. The mother was catalog # 1612 with her fifth known calf. This is an interesting animal. While some whales are seen frequently, she is not. We know that she is at least 30 years old, and was seen with a calf back in 1986. We last saw her on 23 January 2003, just a few miles away and about a week later than yesterday's sighting. (Photo: S. McKenney)
First Whales of the 2007-08 Season!
The Florida right whale season has begun. On December 9, a mother/calf were sighted off Crescent Beach. They have been subsequently sighted off Beverly Beach and Marineland. The mother is #2753, and she was seen previously (as a single female) in 2003 and 2005. This year, she has returned with her first calf. The mother is 11 years old; the age of this recently born calf is unknown but was at least 6 days old in the photo below. This photo is from Beverly Beach on December 10 (Photo: J. Hampp)
For more information on right whales and the right whale catalogue, go to the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog. For example, you may look up additional information on the two individuals mentioned above.