JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. — It's calving season!
The photos attached to this post are the first sightings of the North Atlantic right whales - a mother and her calf!
They were spotted just 10 nautical miles off the coast of Jekyll Island in southern Georgia, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The photos were taken on December 10 of this year by FWC.
FWC notes that the right whale is most of the most endangered species of large whale still in the North Atlantic today.
Only around 500 of these animals, found off the coast of the eastern United States and Canada in the western Atlantic, remain.
The name 'right whale' comes from whaling, because whalers believed them to be the 'right' whale to hunt.
Whaling for them has been outlawed since 1935, FWC said.
Around 30 percent of fatalities come from right whales colliding with large vessels.
Hopefully we'll see more of these gentle sea creatures soon!
