Right Whale Watching
The offshore waters of N.E. Florida are some of the most active with fish and marine life along the entire Eastern seaboard.  Dolphins, manatees, sea turtles and countless other Atlantic Residents all claim a piece of the near coastal waters of Amelia Island home.
One mammal in particular that still intrigues both researches and viewers alike is the North Atlantic Right Whale, a leviathan that weighs an easy 70 tons and dwarfs a tour bus.  Deemed the official state mammal of neighboring Georgia, the right whale makes its annual Eastern Seaboard pilgrimage between November and April.  During these months large numbers of right whales migrate to Canadian waters and are frequently seen in the Bay of Fundy.  There are approximately 300 right whales alive today.  Scientist believes the North Atlantic right whale population was roughly 300,000 (prior to commercial whaling) and in 1935 with only 100 whales still in existence they were placed in protection before they became extinct.
Right whales got their names because early whalers considered them the “right” whale to hunt.  In the early days whaling operations were shore based, as it was easy seeking out these 70-100 ton animals that swim precariously close to the shoreline.  With their overall lengths growing to 60 feet, the right whales were easy to spot and made for an easy target.  Their rotund bodies are mostly black with a broad back and no dorsal fin.  Rough white patches can be seen on the head and around their mouths.  Today these graceful mammals can be easily seen during their northerly run, while enjoying full protection against human dangers.
The Right Whale's Travel Range
Right whales are the rarest of all large whales. There are several species, but all are identified by enormous heads, which can measure up to one-third of their total body length. These whales’ massive heads and jaws accommodate hundreds of baleen “teeth.” Rights and other baleen-feeding whales use a comblike strainer of baleen plates and bristles to ensnare tiny morsels of food as they swim. Right whales feed on zooplankton and other tiny organisms using baleens up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) long.
These leviathans had enormous value for their plentiful oil and baleen, which were used for corsets, buggy whips, and other contrivances. Because of their thick blubber, right whales also float accommodatingly after they have been killed. Populations of these whales were decimated during the whaling heydays of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.
Because females do not become sexually mature until eight years of age, which coincides with a length of about 15.5 meters and give birth to a single calf every 3 to 4 years after a yearlong pregnancy, populations grow slowly. Exact data on mean longevity are not yet available but there are indications that they probably grow very old. A picture was taken of a female and her calf in 1935 in Florida. The animal was seen in 1959 off Cape Cod and irregularly until the summer of 1995. Assuming it was her first calf in the original picture and she was at the age of sexual maturity or eight years old, she would have been 67 years old when last seen.
Their close relatives, bowhead whales, have been recorded with lifespans approaching 200 years, so it’s likely that right whales have very long lifespans.
Click here for more information of the various Whale Species.
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