Northern Atlantic Right Whale
The Northern Right Whale is one of 3 other species of Right Whales, the others being the North Pacific Right Whale and the Southern Right Whale. Seen off the East Coast of the United States, they inhabit the Atlantic throughout the year, depending on breeding and overall climate.
Details
The North Atlantic Right Whale, (Eubalaena Glacialis) is a baleen whale, meaning it eats by straining ocean water through their baleen plates and eating tiny crustaceans or krill / krill larvae, (filter feeders). These k-selected species can weigh up to 140,000 pounds, eating between 2,200 and 5,000 pounds of food daily, and live between 70 to 100 years in age .
The three species of whales don't differ too much, having some distinct physical characteristics, other than that the only differences being population size and side of the world. These whales are named "Right" whales because of how whale hunters preferred to hunt these whales as they would float after killed, and not sink down like other whale species due to amount of blubber..
via: FWC Fish and Wildlife Reserve
Year Migrations
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Populations
Around Spring and Summer, North Atlantic Whales inhabit the Northern East coasts near New England and even Canadian water for feeding; When late Fall and Winter approach, these whales move south to their calving grounds in search of shallow water; they have calves every 3 - 5 years.
Scientists don't know the full extent of the North Right Whale's role in maintaining balance in their ecosystem, simply due to the fact that their numbers have become so low, that they cannot observe impact. Breeding grounds are still pretty vague because of how little whales go to breed, their location has been hard to track and track consistently through the years as population decreases. Scientists estimate there were about 9,000 - 21,000 North Atlantic Whales before whaling of 18 and 1900s, and the population now sits around 400, and the population is decreasing.
via: fisheries.noaa.gov and Smithsonian