Five new right whale calves spotted in past week brings total to 14

OSSABAW ISLAND, Ga. (WTOC) - North Atlantic right whales have added five more calves to their population over the past week, bringing the total number of new calves this season to 14.

The critically endangered species migrates to the Georgia coast each December to give birth. The 2024 population estimate showed 384 whales, up from 376 the previous year.

New mothers include first-time and veteran calvers

Among the 14 mothers are four first-time calvers, including 18-year-old Callosity Back, who is older than typical for a first-time mother due to anthropogenic stress affecting the population.

Veteran mothers include 40-year-old Juno, who welcomed her ninth known calf. Juno’s previous calf was killed in a vessel strike shortly after birth during the 2023-2024 season.

Squilla, 19, gave birth to her second known calf after tragically losing her first calf in 2024 following two years of entanglement in fishing gear. The death marked the first confirmed mortality traced back to marked fishing gear.

Mothers show resilience despite past trauma

Several mothers are entanglement and vessel strike survivors. Millipede, 21, survived a vessel strike at a young age that left scars along her body. Binary, 26, freed herself from fishing gear in 2011 while caring for a calf.

Tripelago, 30, was sighted with her sixth calf east of Ossabaw Island. Research teams have spotted her every year of her life except one.

The calves were spotted off the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, including areas near Ossabaw Island, Saint Phillips Island, and Amelia Island. You can click here to see the full list of right whale mothers and calves.