Rare whale and calf seen swimming off Georgia coast

ST. CATHERINES, Ga. — Researchers have spotted a right whale and her calf off the coast of Georgia.

A team from Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute tweeted photos of the pair swimming in the waters off the coast of St. Catherines.

The whale’s name is Horton and the researchers said this is her third documented calf.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources says we are in the middle of calving season for right whales.

“The waters off coastal Georgia and north Florida are this species’ only known calving grounds. The North Atlantic right whale is also Georgia’s state marine mammal,” DNR said on its website. “North Atlantic right whales are now one of the rarest of all the great whales. There are fewer than 350 left. The species has been declining rapidly since 2010 because of a combination of high human-caused mortality and low calving rates.”

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