Survivor Series: Meet the North Atlantic Right Whales
Time to meet some of the endangered right whales under the water! North Atlantic right whales are constantly threatened by being hit by vessels...here's some stories of some of the survivors.
Meet Calvin!
Calvin is a female born in 1992 from a whale named Delilah. When Calvin was only around eight months old, Delilah unfortunately was struck by a vessel and passed away.
We didn't know how Calvin would do without her mother but she survived! She is still being sighted and has even had a few calves herself! She was named after the spunky and independent character in the Calvin and Hobbes comic.
Like most right whales, she has faced both threats of vessel strikes and entanglements. However, she offers hope for the future of the species. Even though she has seen a lot in life, it's a reality most right whales face daily. You can help speak up for Calvin, her calves and her calves to come.
Meet Accordion!
Accordion is a female North Atlantic right whale that was first sighted in 2011. We didn't see her as a calf which means we don't know exactly how old she might be. However, we do know that she spends a lot of time here in Cape Cod Bay and Southern New England!
She was named after linear scars on her back that look like an accordion, but those scars are constant reminders of her collision with a boat.
Meet Tripelago!
Time to speak up for the Mothers! Meet Tripelago, a female North Atlantic right whale that was born in 1996. As a female, she plays an important role especially as an endangered species so we all celebrated when she had her first calf in 2004.
She had her fifth calf this past season and as aerial surveys spotted her with the newborn, they also identified her by her scar on her back. Vessel strikes are one of the top threats these critically endangered whales face.
Tripelago and her new 2022 calf face a life of danger unless we do something. Luckily, we have a chance for you to speak up for Tripelago and her friends!
Meet Derecha!
Derecha is a mother that has been through a lot. She was first spotted in 1993 but wasn’t seen again until 1998. Researchers didn't know much about her until she showed up in 2004 with her first known calf. Interestingly, she took the calf into the Gulf of Mexico where very few right whales go. Her second calf was born in 2007 off the Massachusetts coast - not a normal spot for a calf to be born! Fast forward to 2020, her fourth calf is born and made the news however, it wasn't for a good reason.
On January 8th, a sport fishing boat struck the mom and calf. While Derecha didn't show any external injuries, her calf's mouth and baleen were extremely injured. Biologists estimate the newborn was only a few days old and most likely didn't survive. Her calf went down in the history books as the youngest right whale to be hit by a boat. Her story sticks with us - luckily, you can take action for Derecha and her calf now!
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