Whales Great and Small The search for whales continues today along the east coast of the United States and Canada. But now the hunters are the scientists trying to save the whales. However, there are not many northern right whales left to track. Scientists estimate that less than 350 remain in the western North Atlantic and that they are only increasing by 2.5% annually. The northern right whale was initially placed in this precarious position due to overhunting, which started more than 800 years ago. Although a 1935 League of Nations resolution banned the hunting of right whales, the population remains at risk. Fossil records indicate that the early ancestors of whales were land mammals that moved into the sea 50 to 53 million years ago. Numerous adaptations for life in the ocean followed. Twenty million years later, whales diverged into two groups: toothed and the toothless filter-feeding baleen whales. The early Greek word for whale, "cetus", generated the scientific name of the order, Cetacea. Like other mammals, cetaceans are endothermic (sometimes erroneously referred to as warm-blooded), give birth to live young, breathe air through lungs, and have hair at some time in their development. Baleen whales, suborder Mysticeti, which refers to the characteristic mustache-like fringe of the baleen (from the Greek mystax--"mustache" and cetus--"whale"). Mysticeti includes four families: Balaenidae, right whales and bowheads; Neobalaenidae, pygmy right whales; Eschrichtiidae, gray whales; and Balaenopteridae, rorquals (which include blue, finback, sei, and minke whales). Baleen whales are often referred to as the "great whales". The blue whale is not only the largest whale in the world, it may be the largest animal organism ever. But despite their large size, baleen whales consume primarily krill (small shrimp-like animals ) and copepods (microscopic marine crustaceans), the smallest food of any whale. Toothed whales, are in the suborder Odontoceti, which refers to the presence of teeth. (From the Greek odous--"toothed" and cetus--"whale.") Odontoceti includes nine families of whales. The more than 65 species of toothed whales exhibit greater diversity in body forms and behaviors than do baleen whales. Examples of toothed whales include: sperm whales, orcas, dolphins and porpoises. Northern right whales are black with variable gray patches on their throats and bellies. Identifying features include the absence of a dorsal fin, a deeply notched tail with a smooth trailing edge, a large head (more than one-quarter of the body length), a narrow upper jaw and curved lower jaw. The flippers are short and very broad. Tough cornified white skin patches, called callosities, are used with other markings to identify individuals. Callosities are located on the top of the head, above the eye, behind the blowholes, and along the lower jaw. These areas of callused skin begin to develop soon after birth and are observed on very young right whales. Sparse hair appears in the tips of the chin and upper jaw, often associated with callosities. Large amounts of blubber, about two-fifths its body weight, give the right whale a particularly rotund appearance. Adult whales which average 12-16.5 meters (40-55 feet), can weigh up to 63.5 metric tons (139,700 pounds). Now federally protected, and the official state marine mammal for both Georgia and Massachusetts, the northern right whale was historically hunted for its commercially valuable products: oil and baleen plates. Characteristics of the right whale:--floating when dead, a slow swimming speed, and proximity to the coast-- inspired whalers to designate this whale the "right" whale to kill. Northern right whales have been sighted from Iceland to Florida, but the only known calving area is the coastal waters of Georgia and Florida. The area, designated as "critical habitat" extends from the mouth of the Altamaha River in Georgia south to Sebastian Inlet, Florida, and from the shoreline out to 15 miles off Georgia and northern Florida and five miles off central Florida. Peak abundance of right whales in this area, as well as calving, occurs from December through March. In March and April, right whales congregate in the plankton-rich waters of Cape Cod Bay, the Great South Channel, and Georges Bank off Massachusetts to stock up on much needed nutrients. This area has been designated the northeastern "critical habitat" for the northern right whale. These whales continue their northward travels to breeding and feeding grounds in the Bay of Fundy and off the southeastern coast of Nova Scotia where they spend the summer and fall. Blowholes of right whales are divided on the surface, forming two holes typical of baleen whales. (Toothed whales have a single blowhole.) Visible from a distance, the blow is identified by a nearly vertical "V" shape. When viewed from the side or affected by wind, however, this double blow may appear as one. Whales Great and Small The search for whales continues today along the east coast of the United States and Canada. But now the hunters are the scientists trying to save the whales. However, there are not many northern right whales left to track. Scientists estimate that less than 350 remain in the western North Atlantic and that they are only increasing by 2.5% annually. The northern right whale was initially placed in this precarious position due to overhunting, which started more than 800 years ago. Although a 1935 League of Nations resolution banned the hunting of right whales, the population remains at risk. Fossil records indicate that the early ancestors of whales were land mammals that moved into the sea 50 to 53 million years ago. Numerous adaptations for life in the ocean followed. Twenty million years later, whales diverged into two groups: toothed and the toothless filter-feeding baleen whales. The early Greek word for whale, "cetus", generated the scientific name of the order, Cetacea. Like other mammals, cetaceans are endothermic (sometimes erroneously referred to as warm-blooded), give birth to live young, breathe air through lungs, and have hair at some time in their development. Baleen whales, suborder Mysticeti, which refers to the characteristic mustache-like fringe of the baleen (from the Greek mystax--"mustache" and cetus--"whale"). Mysticeti includes four families: Balaenidae, right whales and bowheads; Neobalaenidae, pygmy right whales; Eschrichtiidae, gray whales; and Balaenopteridae, rorquals (which include blue, finback, sei, and minke whales). Baleen whales are often referred to as the "great whales". The blue whale is not only the largest whale in the world, it may be the largest animal organism ever. But despite their large size, baleen whales consume primarily krill (small shrimp-like animals ) and copepods (microscopic marine crustaceans), the smallest food of any whale. Toothed whales, are in the suborder Odontoceti, which refers to the presence of teeth. (From the Greek odous--"toothed" and cetus--"whale.") Odontoceti includes nine families of whales. The more than 65 species of toothed whales exhibit greater diversity in body forms and behaviors than do baleen whales. Examples of toothed whales include: sperm whales, orcas, dolphins and porpoises. Northern right whales are black with variable gray patches on their throats and bellies. Identifying features include the absence of a dorsal fin, a deeply notched tail with a smooth trailing edge, a large head (more than one-quarter of the body length), a narrow upper jaw and curved lower jaw. The flippers are short and very broad. Tough cornified white skin patches, called callosities, are used with other markings to identify individuals. Callosities are located on the top of the head, above the eye, behind the blowholes, and along the lower jaw. These areas of callused skin begin to develop soon after birth and are observed on very young right whales. Sparse hair appears in the tips of the chin and upper jaw, often associated with callosities. Large amounts of blubber, about two-fifths its body weight, give the right whale a particularly rotund appearance. Adult whales which average 12-16.5 meters (40-55 feet), can weigh up to 63.5 metric tons (139,700 pounds). Now federally protected, and the official state marine mammal for both Georgia and Massachusetts, the northern right whale was historically hunted for its commercially valuable products: oil and baleen plates. Characteristics of the right whale:--floating when dead, a slow swimming speed, and proximity to the coast-- inspired whalers to designate this whale the "right" whale to kill. Northern right whales have been sighted from Iceland to Florida, but the only known calving area is the coastal waters of Georgia and Florida. The area, designated as "critical habitat" extends from the mouth of the Altamaha River in Georgia south to Sebastian Inlet, Florida, and from the shoreline out to 15 miles off Georgia and northern Florida and five miles off central Florida. Peak abundance of right whales in this area, as well as calving, occurs from December through March. In March and April, right whales congregate in the plankton-rich waters of Cape Cod Bay, the Great South Channel, and Georges Bank off Massachusetts to stock up on much needed nutrients. This area has been designated the northeastern "critical habitat" for the northern right whale. These whales continue their northward travels to breeding and feeding grounds in the Bay of Fundy and off the southeastern coast of Nova Scotia where they spend the summer and fall. Blowholes of right whales are divided on the surface, forming two holes typical of baleen whales. (Toothed whales have a single blowhole.) Visible from a distance, the blow is identified by a nearly vertical "V" shape. When viewed from the side or affected by wind, however, this double blow may appear as one.