Extremely rare sea creature seen off Massachusetts coast — with baby in tow. See them
An extremely rare sea creature was spotted swimming off the coast of Massachusetts with her baby in the first sighting of the season, researchers said.
Researchers observed the North Atlantic right whale with an aerial camera just north of Marshfield on Monday, April 1, the Center for Coastal Studies said in a news release and on social media.
Researchers identified the mother as Legato (EgNo 1802), the 36-year-old daughter of Staccato (EgNo 1014), officials said.
Legato gave birth to the calf in December, and the pair was first spotted together on New Year’s Eve by Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, officials said.
Ryan Schosberg was part of the Massachusetts team observing the whales from above and described the researchers’ delight at spotting the mother and calf.
“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!” he said. “It’s always a relief to see right whale mothers arriving safely in Cape Cod Bay with their calves.”
Marshfield, about a 30-mile drive southeast from Boston, is located just across the bay from Provincetown, where the organization is based.
After North Atlantic right whales calve in the southeast U.S. during winter, they migrate north to feeding grounds in New England and Canada, officials said. Cape Cod Bay has been the destination for ”one of the largest feeding aggregations of right whales during winter and early spring” for the last decade.
Researchers have recorded 123 adult right whales in the bay this season, but no mother-calf duos, until now, officials said.
Whales and their calves that arrive in Cape Cod Bay have survived “a difficult journey through sometimes horrendous seas,” Dr. Charles “Stormy” Mayo said in the release. Mayo is the director of the Center’s Right Whale Ecology Program.
During the treacherous journey, mothers nurse their calf but won’t feed until they reach the “food-rich waters around Cape Cod,” officials said.
“Cape Cod Bay is a very significant place for right whales to bring their calves. Here they find protected, calmer waters, and an abundance of food,” Mayo said. “It must be a relief, no wonder they hang out here for days or weeks.”
The whale and her calf’s presence in Cape Cod is significant not only because it marks their successful migration from the southeast — but also because the species is critically endangered, according to the organization.
Researchers estimate only about 360 are left, officials said. Because ship strikes are one of the greatest threats to the whales, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts limits boat speeds to 10 knots on the coast and in the bay during right whale season.
This is the whale’s fifth recorded calf, officials said.
“Previous calves are a male, #3302, born in 2003 and last seen in 2011 and presumed dead; a female, #3602, who was born in 2006 and died in the calving grounds; Portato, #3802, a female who was born in 2008 and last seen in Cape Cod Bay in 2022; and a male, #4102, born in 2011 and seen many times in Cape Cod Bay this winter.”
Some reminisced about the calf’s grandmother, Staccato, in the comments on Facebook.
“I love that Staccato lineage carries on,” someone said.
Others were simply grateful for the encouraging news and wished the family well.
“Thank you for some good news,” the Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors wrote. “It has been a rough year for our babies.”
“Life is awesome but so fragile for these gentle giants,” another person said.
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