Right whale

The Canadian Encyclopedia

Right whales are sometimes called "the urban whale" because of how close they come to shore to follow prey. It's partly why they were hunted to near extinction, and are severely threatened by ship strikes and entanglement from fishing gear today. In the northern hemisphere, right whales are so rare that every new death is a huge blow to the species' chances of recovery. The southern hemisphere species is doing much better. Here, a mother and calf hang near Cape Town while a passerby doesn't seem to notice them.

This photo was taken during my internship with Sea Search Research and Conservation. Getting a glimpse of a southern right whale was awesome, especially considering that their northern cousins may go extinct in our lifetimes.

I dive into some more detail about the plight of northern right whales in this article for The Canadian Encyclopedia.