What we know
What we know: Scientists discovered an unknown baby right whale off Canada. They say it's a cause for joy
Compiled Nov 6
What we know
- Researchers captured images of an unidentified baby North Atlantic right whale off Anticosti Island, Quebec in September
- Scientists determined the calf was likely born months earlier and went unseen during winter surveys
- The discovery brings the season's calf count to 24, the most productive year since 2009 and fourth-highest on record
- The whale was seen with its mother, a 38-year-old whale known as Silt
- Right whales give birth off the southeastern U.S. in winter before moving north to New England and Canada to feed
- The global right whale population is about 380 and has fallen since 2010
What we don’t know yet
- It's possible Silt had the calf in the southeastern U.S. but left before researchers could document them together
Open questions
- Where exactly was the calf born if not documented in the calving grounds?
- How many other calves might have gone undetected in past seasons?
- Will the delayed U.S. protections affect the right whale population's recovery?
- How did the calf and mother avoid detection for months despite extensive surveys?
Drawn from the Associated Press report. “What we don’t know” lists only what the reporting itself flags as unresolved.