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Water Cooler

May 10, 2008 1:01 pm US/Eastern

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N.E. Researcher First To Witness Right Whale Birth

BOSTON (WBZ) ― When New England Aquarium researcher Monica Zani first saw the bloody water surrounding the thrashing 50-foot endangered right whale, she feared the worst.

The critically endangered whales are often injured or killed by vessels or by being caught in gear entanglements.

But as her crew's helicopter approached the massive creature, she realized it hadn't been hit by a vessel as first thought, but was moving in a more rhythmic and purposeful way.

Moments later, the whale retreated under the ocean only to resurface with a limp baby calf beside her.

The 12-foot calf was listless and Zani said its tale appeared to be curled under. The mother then dipped back under the surface of the water and then reappeared with the baby draped over back.

After taking in its first break of air, it rolled off its mother and began to swim beside her.

Zani was the first human to ever witness the amazing birth, which happened on Jan 1, 2005 off the coast of Florida, where right whales travel to during the winter to give birth. The Aquarium's photos were finally released this month after they were published in the scientific journal "Aquatic Mammals."

Photos taken of the whales while they were in New England waters prior to the birth revealed that the mother was called "Cat's Paw," a namesake for a small white scar on the whale's shoulder. The aquarium team has since named her calf Resolution. The pair was spotted a few weeks later swimming together. Cat's Paw was seen last summer off Massachusetts in the Bay of Fundy, though she was without her calf, which would typically leave its mother at age 1.

With less than 400 right whales left in the world, each birth is a critical step for the survival of the species. Right whales are the most endangered whales in the Atlantic Ocean.

Despite thousands of hours in flights to monitor right whales in their calving grounds off the coasts of Georgia and northern Florida, no human has ever witnessed the birth of a North Atlantic right whale.

The whales spend summers in New England waters and then travel over 1,000 miles to the Florida/Georgia border each winter.

The mothers fast for four months while travelling to the calving grounds. Once the calf is born, the mother nurses them so the baby gains hundreds of pounds each week.

Scientists estimate that female right whales lose 10 to 30 percent of the average 50-ton weight, or anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 pounds, during the gestation and birthing process.

Last month, about 75 right whales were in Cape Cod Bay feeding on the dense bloom of zooplankton.

Their presence prompted warnings to boaters to take extra caution while navigating waters off Cape Cod.

According to the Right Whale Sighting Advisory System, one-third of whale deaths are a result of "human activities," such as ship strikes and gear entanglements.