Mastodawn

Scientists hunting #mammoth #fossils found #whales 400 km inland
It looked like Wooller and team might have found evidence mammoths lived in central #Alaska just 2,000ya. But #DNA revealed that two “mammoth” bones actually belonged to North #Pacific #rightwhale and a #minkewhale—which raised a whole new set of questions. The team’s hunt for Alaska’s last mammoth had turned into an epic case of mistaken identity, starring two whale species and a mid-century fossil hunter.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/02/scientists-hunting-mammoth-fossils-found-whales-400-km-inland/

Scientists hunting mammoth fossils found whales 400 km inland

Sometimes, new data raises more questions than it answers.

Ars Technica

Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Mar 11

#NOAA issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that questions the need to continue the North #Atlantic #RightWhale Vessel Speed Rule which has been in place since 2008. The rule requires vessels 65 feet or longer to slow to 10 knots in seasonal management areas along the #US east coast where, and when, critically #endangered North Atlantic #rightwhales are known to aggregate.
NOAA confirmed the rule reduced risk to right #whales by up to 90%
https://us.whales.org/2026/03/04/noaa-questions-the-ongoing-need-to-protect-endangered-whales-from-vessel-strikes/

Steve Dustcircle 🌹Oct 27

#Endangered #NorthAtlantic #RightWhale Population Is Slowly Increasing, Scientists Say

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/endangered-north-atlantic-right-whale-population-is-slowly-increasing-scientists-say/

Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale Population Is Slowly Increasing, Scientists Say

Unlike other baleens like the fin whale, humpback, and blue whale, the North Atlantic right whale has been slow to recover.

Good News Network

Edwin G.

Jul 21, 2025

A North Atlantic right whale 🐋 has been spotted off the coast of Newfoundland. There are only an estimated 372 left in the world, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/right-whale-newfoundland-1.7586659
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Une baleine noire de l’Atlantique Nord a été vue au large de la côte de Terre-Neuve. Il en reste qu’environ 372 au monde, selon Pêches et Océans Canada.

#Newfoundland #TerreNeuve #Whales #Baleines #RightWhale #BaleineNoire

Spotting rare right whale off Newfoundland had this tour guide 'Out of my skin excited' | CBC News

There are less than 370 North Atlantic right whales left in the world — and a local man spotted one off the southern Avalon Peninsula earlier this month.

CBC

Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬May 26, 2025

First-Ever #Intersex Southern #RightWhale Discovered Among 36-Year-Old Crossbow Skin Samples
Like humans, #whales’ #chromosomes most commonly express either XX or XY for female or male sex, respectively. However, a little something called the sex-determining region Y #gene (or SRY) threw a spanner in the works, because it only exists on the Y chromosome, and yet upon further testing, XX Eau10b was positive for it.
https://www.iflscience.com/first-ever-intersex-southern-right-whale-discovered-among-36-year-old-crossbow-skin-samples-78713
https://archive.ph/HTBGT

First-Ever Intersex Southern Right Whale Discovered Among 36-Year-Old Crossbow Skin Samples

It marks the first documented case of sex chromosomal aneuploidy for the species.

IFLScience

CapeCodAdventurePictures May 3, 2025

Right Whale from the shore at Race Point Beach Provincetown MA 05/02//25 #rightwhale #rightwhaletosave #northatlanticrightwhale #whale #whalephotography #whales #whalesofmastodon #whalesofprovincetown #nature #naturephotography #naturecommunity #wildlifephotography #marinemammals #provincetown #massachusetts #newengland #capecod

CapeCodAdventurePictures Apr 23, 2025

Right Whale from the shore at Race Point Beach Provincetown MA 04/22/25 #rightwhale #rightwhaletosave #northatlanticrightwhale #whale #whalephotography #whales #whalesofmastodon #whalesofprovincetown #nature #naturephotography #naturecommunity #wildlifephotography #marinemammals #provincetown #massachusetts #newengland #capecod

CapeCodAdventurePictures Feb 27, 2025

Right Whale from the shore at Race Point Beach Provincetown MA 02/25*25 #rightwhale #rightwhaletosave #northatlanticrightwhale #whale #whalephotography #whales #whalesofmastodon #whalesofprovincetown #nature #naturephotography #naturecommunity #wildlifephotography #marinemammals #provincetown #massachusetts #newengland #capecod

Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Dec 18, 2024

2 #Endangered #Whales Found Entangled in Fishing Gear, 1 Likely to Die
North #Atlantic #rightwhale, which were seen off coast of #Massachusetts, one of most endangered large #whale species, there are fewer than 370 left in the world.
NOAA will “work with authorized responders and trained experts to monitor the whales,” it said in its statement. It will “further document the entanglements and determine if entanglement responses will be possible.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/us/right-whales-nantucket-massachusetts.html
https://archive.ph/UA8hh

2 Endangered Whales Found Entangled in Fishing Gear, With 1 Likely to Die

The North Atlantic right whales, which were seen off the coast of Massachusetts, are one of the most endangered large whale species.

The New York Times

Lukas VFN 🇪🇺Oct 23, 2024

Right #whale population grows 4% but #extinction remains a threat
https://phys.org/news/2024-10-whale-population-extinction-threat.html

"The North Atlantic #RightWhale plummeted in population in the 2010s... the population increased to an estimated 372 in 2023. That's an increase of about 4% from 2020... Recent births show an improvement from the 2010s, but the number of new calves is below what scientists saw in the 2000s, and threats remain a major concern."

Right whale population grows 4% but extinction remains a threat

One of the rarest species of whale in the world has increased slightly in population, encouraging conservationists to call on the federal government and the shipping and fishing industries to do more to bring the giant animals back from the brink of extinction.

Phys.org