2024–2025 North Atlantic Right Whale Mother and Calf Pairs

From December through March, during “calving season,” right whales and their young can be spotted together in the waters off the Southeastern coast of the United States, where the whales migrate to give birth. During this time, researchers on and above the water keep their eye out for whale mothers and their calves, a hopeful sight for the survival of these critically endangered marine animals.

Scientists estimate that 372 right whales remain, an update based on the latest available data which shows a possible slowing of the population numbers. “I wish we could infer that this paints a rosy picture for the future, but the 2024 mortalities and serious injuries are sobering,” said Philip Hamilton, senior scientist at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life. The 2024 right whale mortalities included a number of birthing females and calves, which are crucial to helping the population rebound. Researchers at our Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, from right whale biologists conducting research via boats and planes to working in the laboratory to study right whale health and hormones, are working diligently to learn more about and protect this species.

Throughout the calving season, right whale researchers manage a detailed list of mom and calf pairs with biographical information that includes photographs, lineage, where the whales were last seen, how they were named, and the challenges each whale has faced. This data comes from the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog, which is maintained by researchers with the Aquarium.

Calving season ends as the whales move back north for the spring and summer. So far this season, five new mother and calf pairs have been spotted.

Meet this year’s mother and calf pairs below, and learn more about what you can do to help protect right whales here.

Recent Sightings

Blackheart – Catalog #3540

Birth year: 2005
Age: 20 years old
Last calving year: 2013
Previous calves: One uncatalogued calf in 2013
Other known relatives: 6 siblings, 16 nieces/nephews
Direct human impacts: 3 entanglements
Family human impacts: 26 entanglements and 3 vessel strikes (mom and siblings only)

Another mother and calf pair was seen on December 30, 2024, by the Florida FWC survey team: Blackheart was seen with her second known calf off the coast of Florida. Blackheart was born in 2005 to Wart (Catalog #1140), making her 20 years old. She’s named for a bald spot in the front of the callosity pattern on her head that sometimes looks like a black heart shape. Blackheart had a calf previously in 2013, but that calf was not resighted after its birth year and has not been added to the Catalog. As a daughter of a matriarch like Wart, Blackheart has a large family and some well-known siblings like Slalom (Catalog #1245), Naevus (Catalog #2040), Pilgrim (Catalog #4340), and Shackleton (Catalog #2440). But a large family typically sees lots of injuries: three vessel strikes and 29 entanglements, and that’s just between Blackheart’s immediate family of eight whales.

Caterpillar – Catalog #3503

Birth year: 2005
Age: 20 years old
Last calving year: N/A
Previous calves: N/A
Other known relatives: Grandparents, 5 aunts/uncles, 4 siblings, 3 cousins
Direct human impacts: 6 entanglements and 1 vessel strike
Human impacts on family members: 32 entanglements and 2 vessel strikes

On December 30, 2024, Caterpillar was seen with her first known calf off the coast of Florida by the Florida Fish & Wildlife (FWC) aerial survey team. Caterpillar was born in 2005 to their mother, Wolf (Catalog #1703), and through genetics (the only way for us to determine paternity), we know her father is Thorny (Catalog #1032). Caterpillar was named for a very large and unfortunate injury she acquired after a vessel strike when she was just two years old. The propeller cuts she sustained on her body in the vessel strike have a segmented appearance, like the body of a caterpillar. This injury has been a major concern for scientists, as pregnancy could risk reopening the old wound—in 2005, a whale named Lucky (Catalog #2143) died when her pregnancy caused her injury to reopen.

Caterpillar has seemingly been able to give birth successfully, but researchers will keep a close eye on her and her injury. While this namesake injury is the greatest concern at the moment, it’s just one of many other injuries she and her family have suffered, including a combined 38 entanglements! Most recently, her brother, Catalog #3343, died from a vessel strike in 2023. Hopefully, Caterpillar can continue to defy the odds while reminding us of the risks right whales constantly face.

Catalog #4540

Birth year: 2013
Age: 12 years old
Last calving year: N/A
Previous calves: N/A
Other known relatives: Grandparents, 7 aunts/uncles, 7 siblings, 3 nieces/nephews
Direct human impacts: 2 entanglements and 1 vessel strike
Human impacts on family members: 26 entanglements and 1 vessel strike (parents + siblings only)

Our third calf of the season was spotted on December 18, 2024, a bit outside the normal calving area. Catalog #4540 was seen with her first known calf by the HDR research team off the coast of Virginia. Catalog #4540 was born to Juno (Catalog #1612) in 2013 and was sired by male Catalog #3681. In recent years, female right whales have been delaying their first pregnancy until they near the age of 20, so we are happy to see Catalog #4540 giving birth at 12 years old. She has a large family but has only two siblings still thought to be alive— Limulus (#2912) and Catalog #5012—as Juno lost her most recent calf to a fatal vessel strike injury in 2024. This family is no stranger to injuries; in addition to Catalog #4540’s recently deceased sibling, her six other siblings and parents have experienced a combined 26 entanglement events. This number would likely grow if we included her extended family.

Research is led by HDR Inc., funded by United States Fleet Forces Command, and managed by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring program. All scientific activities are conducted under NMFS scientific research permit #28184.

Minus One – Catalog #2430

Birth year: Unknown, first seen in 1994
Age: >31 years old
Last calving year: 2021
Previous calves: Spoon (Catalog #3730), Catalog #4030, Catalog #5190
Other known relatives: N/A
Direct human impacts: 4 entanglements and 1 vessel strike
Human impacts on family members: 4 entanglements

Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s Georgia team spotted Minus One (Catalog #2430) with a new calf on December 9, 2024. Minus One was first seen on her own in 1994, so her exact age is unknown, but we know she’s at least 31 years old and this is her fourth known calf. Because of her unknown history, we don’t know much about her family other than her three previous female calves. Minus One was named for scars that looked like the symbol “-1,” though these scars are less visible now. Amongst the four of them, Minus One and her calves have experienced a combined eight entanglements and one vessel strike—the latter of which left a notable but healed scar on her right body. Her eldest daughter Spoon (Catalog #3730), who had three minor entanglements at a young age, is now 18 years old and seen regularly. Perhaps she will give Minus One her first grandcalf in the coming years!

Nauset – Catalog #2413

Birth year: 1994
Age: 31 years old
Last calving year: 2021
Previous calves: Canaveral (Catalog #3513), Monomoy (Catalog #4313), Catalog #5113, and one uncataloged calf in 2011
Other known relatives: Mother, 2 siblings, 1 niece/nephew, 1 grandchild
Direct human impacts: 1 entanglement and 1 vessel strike
Human impacts on family members: 7 entanglements and 3 vessel strikes
 

The first identified mother/calf pair of the season was seen by Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s Georgia Team on December 1, 2024! Nauset (Catalog #2413) was seen with her fifth known calf off the coast of Georgia. Nauset is 31 years old and was born to her mother, Catalog #1013, in 1994. She was named for the Nauset lighthouse on Cape Cod, Massachusetts as the front part of her callosity pattern is shaped like a lighthouse. Out of her four known calves, two have been seen in recent years: Her youngest, four-year-old male #5113, and Monomoy, a 12-year-old female. Her first grandchild was born to Canaveral (Catalog #3513) in 2013, but that calf was not re-sighted after its birth year, so it was never cataloged. Between Nauset and her family, these whales have experienced a combined 8 entanglements and 4 vessel strikes. Fortunately, most of the events resulted in only minor injuries.