Right whale calf spotted off Florida coast

Florida wildlife officials have reported a North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) calf sighting — the first in the winter calving season. Last year, no newborns were reported, and just five the previous year, the Associated Press reports. Coastline Consulting observers spotted the mother and calf near the St. Johns River entrance, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission’s Wildlife Research Institute reported on its Facebook page on Dec. 28. The endangered whales migrate to the waters off the coasts of Georgia and Florida to give birth each year. Only about 450 of the whales are believed to remain.

Read the Associated Press story here, and see the Facebook post here.