Scientists who study a critically endangered species of whale that lives off New England said encouraging early signs suggest the animals could have a strong season for feeding and breeding.
The North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest whale species in the world and it is thought to number about 370. The giant animals migrate, and usually arrive in Cape Cod Bay off Massachusetts early in the winter and stay until around the middle of May.
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Scientists with the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Massachusetts, said they observed the first two right whales of the season in the bay on Nov. 18, and the animals are finding abundant food. The scientists said the animals were observed feeding on tiny organisms near the surface of the water, which is a behavior they don’t usually exhibit until much later in the season.
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Water samples collected in the path of the right whales showed a combination of the microscopic crustaceans the whales love to eat, said Christy Hudak, a researcher with the center. One of the crustaceans is Calanus finmarchicus, an oil-rich species that is critical to whale health, Hudak said.
