SAVANNAH, Ga. — Scientists conducting a survey for the U.S. military say they photographed an endangered right whale giving birth near where the Navy plans to establish a training range off the coast of northern Florida.
Researchers said today it’s just the second time a live birth of the critically endangered whales has been documented. Experts estimate only about 400 still exist.
Additional Photos
William McLellan, a University of North Carolina Wilmington research biologist, said the photos were taken Saturday during an aerial survey. His team was cataloging species in waters near a proposed range for submarine warfare training. The whale birth was outside of the proposed range.
Environmentalists say the Navy’s plans could pose a threat to right whales, which migrate from their feeding grounds in the Bay of Fundy to shallow waters off Georgia and Florida each winter to birth their calves.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.