Battle for Survival: The Plight of North Atlantic Right Whales

摘要

Finding a North Atlantic right whale from the air is a little like searching for a needle in a haystack. Once sighted, however, a right whale is easily distinguishable from other large whales by its characteristic V-shaped blow, long arching mouth, broad back with no dorsal fin, and slow movements. "Knowing their numbers are so low, it's always exciting when we are able to document a North Atlantic right whale," says Kate Lomac-MacNair, project manager and co-lead observer at Smultea Environmental Sciences, a subcontractor for DEC's large whale aerial survey. A truly majestic animal, the species has become a poster child for the uphill battle against biodiversity loss.