The journey of a baby whale through the Atlantic

Baby whale season is nearly upon us! 

Every year, right whale moms travel south to the coastline of Georgia, Florida and South Carolina to give birth. Here’s a glimpse into the journey of a baby right whale’s amazing – and treacherous – first year of life. 

Her first few days on Earth

Born in the warmer waters off the southeastern coast of the United States, the moment this calf enters the world, she is already around 14 feet in length – nearly the size of an 8-passenger van – yet just a third of the size of her mother. She will look to her mom for guidance in these first critical moments at sea; she must learn to breathe and swim quickly in order to survive. 

Over the next few months, this baby whale will learn and grow as she swims with her mother

The right whale calf will stay close to her mom through her first year of life. They must remain near the surface so that the calf can take breaths often, since she cannot hold her breath as long as her mother. But through her first year, as she grows and gets stronger, she will build up her ability to dive for longer periods of time.

Baleen whale mothers, including right whales, typically don’t eat while their calves are nursing to ensure that they do not leave their babies alone at the surface. Luckily for the mother, baleen whales have richer milk than other whale species so nursing only lasts for a few months to a year. 

Traveling up north

The baby whale’s first year of life is not only filled with learning and growing – she also must embark on a long and harrowing journey with her mom. Right whale mothers take their calves from their birthplace in warmer southern waters off the coast of Florida and Georgia all the way up to the cool waters of New England and Canada. The mother whale knows that up north, her and her calf will have access to far more food to help her baby grow. 

But the journey to the bountiful waters of New England is not an easy one. The duo must travel over 1000 miles through busy waters filled with speeding boats and fishing gear. And because the mother and daughter must stay close to the surface, they are especially vulnerable to being hit by boats or entangled. Right whales are dark in color, lack a dorsal fin and swim very slowly, making it difficult for boat captains to see and avoid the pair. 

The calf’s mom must guide them through the gauntlet of threats posed by human activity that fill the water while also avoiding collisions with boats. Nearly every year, right whales are killed from boat strikes or fishing entanglements. If the calf’s mother dies, the still-nursing baby whale will be unable to survive on her own – a tragic fate one calf faced in 2024 after her mom was killed in a boat strike. Since Right whale calves rely on their mothers in their first year of life, effectively, the loss of one mother means the loss of two right whales. 

There is hardly a safe haven for the right whales

It would be nice to think that if the calf makes it north with her mother, she will be safe and live a long life full of tasty copepods. But the truth is that entanglements and boat strikes pose a risk to right whales throughout their habitat range, so this new calf will face deadly risks every day, not just on her journey north. 

Thankfully, we can take action to protect the baby whales born off our coast. Whether it’s slowing down boats or adopting new, whale-safe fishing technology, we have the knowledge to save right whales throughout their lives. 

Just as human mothers shouldn’t have to walk their children across busy highways with no traffic lights, right whale mothers shouldn’t have to navigate their babies through heavy rope and away from fast boats with few safeguards. 

Save the whale babies, save the species

We must fight to protect right whales from entanglements and boat strikes, especially for those newborn babies who are only just beginning their many journeys. With their species facing extinction, every baby right whale born offers us hope. 

Together, we can give them their ocean back and provide them a journey that is not harrowing – just incredible.