A toast to the season’s first North Atlantic right whale calf!
And what could be more fitting than the mom is nicknamed Champagne?
On Nov. 28, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute aerial survey team spotted this winter’s first mom and calf pair about 44 nautical miles off Litchfield by the Sea, S.C.
This is Champagne’s second known calf (her first was born in 2021). Mom is 17 years old and officially known as No. 3904 in the North Atlantic right whale catalog. The nickname comes from circular callosity patterns on her that look like champagne bubbles.
Champagne has at least 11 siblings (nine via mom and two from dad), although only eight have been cataloged. Her mom, Spindle, is the most prolific right whale in the known population: She has given birth to 10 calves so far.
As noted in the recent “Right Whales Return” post, calves are a bellwether for this endangered whale species, which doubles as Georgia’s state marine mammal. About 50 calves a year are needed for North Atlantic right whales to recover — given the number dying from entanglement in commercial fishing gear and vessel strikes — and 25-30 to stabilize the population. Last winter, 10 calves were documented.
As of 2024, an estimated 384 North Atlantic right whales remained.
DID YOU KNOW: Right whale calves can be 15 feet long and weigh 2 tons.
BOATERS, TAKE NOTE: Coastal boaters are encouraged to keep watch, slow down and report whale sightings via 877-WHALE-HELP (877-942-5343), the U.S. Coast Guard on marine VHF ch. 16 or the Whale Alert app. Reports can help avoid boat strikes. For sighting updates, check the app or whalemap.org.
TAKE PART: Check out activities for Whale Week, which runs through this Saturday!