Mama sea creature and baby seen off Massachusetts coast. See ‘happy surprise’
.jpg "A mama sea creature and her baby were seen swimming alongside one another, Massachusetts officials said.")
A mama sea creature was seen swimming alongside her baby in Massachusetts and bystanders are calling it a “happy surprise.”
On April 17, a North Atlantic right whale and her newborn baby were seen swimming in Cape Cod Bay, according to a Facebook post from the New England Aquarium.
North Atlantic right whales are one of the “world’s most endangered large whale species” with calves being about 14 feet long at birth with the capability to grow to be 52 feet long as they reach adulthood, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
They feed on plankton and can be seen opening their mouths to help filter the organisms through their baleen, the NOAA said.
Calving season in this area runs from mid-November to mid-April and 11 calves this season were born, officials said.
Although the number of newborns were lower than researchers wanted, four first-time moms joined in on the calving season, showing “hope for this critically endangered species with a population hovering around 370 individuals,” officials said.
Cape Cod is about a 70-mile drive southeast of Boston.
This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 10:39 AM with the headline "Mama sea creature and baby seen off Massachusetts coast. See ‘happy surprise’."