Right whales like the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) are among the rarest of all marine mammal species. These baleen whales have two separate populations – western and eastern. Commercial whaling decimated the species in the early 1900s. Today, only around 400 North Atlantic right whales remain. © Brian Skerry / National Geographic Stock North Atlantic right whales are about 50 feet long and weigh about 70 tons (14,000 lbs.). They have a stocky, black body, no dorsal fin and bumpy patches of rough skin, called callosities, on their head. Diet North Atlantic right whales eat zooplankton and krill. They take large gulps of water and then filter out their tiny prey using baleen plates. Each side of a right whale’s mouth has about 225 baleen plates, which can be up to 8 feet long. During feeding season, usually from spring to fall, right whales may eat more than 2,600 pounds of zooplankton per day. Population Historically, there were two populations of North…
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