But scientists now have a place to focus their research, including determining the whales' prey and the ocean conditions they prefer, Tynan said. Right whales until recently were thought all but extinct in the North Pacific. Biologists still don't know how many remain, but they may number fewer than 100, Tynan said. Fewer than 300 are thought to remain in the Atlantic Ocean. But curiously, right whales are thriving in the southern hemisphere, said Doug DeMaster, director of NOAA's National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle.
Rights are baleen whales similar in size and color to bowheads.
They grow to 60 feet long and can weigh 60 tons. Individuals can be distinguished because of the wartlike growths called callosities that form in unique patterns around their mouths and eyes. Scientists don't know where they calve or spend the winters. They also float after being killed. The whales have been a protected species since 1935.