Rare Whale and Calf Seen Off Jersey Shore

A rare Right whale and her newborn calf were sighted Monday near the southern tip of New Jersey, but a marine mammal expert said that both appeared healthy. He said they probably had floated into shallow waters in search of food.

The Right whales, members of an endangered species, were first seen swimming about a quarter-mile off Stone Harbor, said Robert Schoelkopf, director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. Schoelkopf said the female had likely given birth to the calf in the Caribbean and was making her spring migration north to cooler waters.

Only about 170 Right whales are known to still survive in the northwest Atlantic. “It’s an unusual sight,” Schoelkopf said. “There are so few of these animals left.”