North Atlantic right whales are among the largest animals in the world. Because they're federally protected animals, boaters cannot approach them to be able to appreciate this. But scientists with special permits are allowed to get close to these endangered animals for research purposes.

Pico, Bay of Fundy 2009 (Photo: Cyndi Browning/New England Aquarium)

Take a listen to this podcast, which features insight from the Vice President of Research at the Aquarium Dr. Scott Kraus. You'll really get a feeling for the size and power of these gentle giants. For the young reporter/researcher presenting the podcast, being close enough to watch the whales during a surface active group (SAG) was a particularly memorable event.



Dr. Kraus knows a thing or two about right whales. He has been around these critically endangered animals for decades now: studying their behaviors and environment, getting to know individual whales and working with other Aquarium scientists to find ways to protect these whales in our increasingly-busy coastal waters. In fact, the Aquarium has the longest-running right whale research program in the world!

More Right Whales in the News

• For a fascinating history of right whale research and human interactions with these animals, check out this article from Science News for Kids.
• Learn about some hopeful signs in the right whale population in a recent Boston Globe article. Right now there are more than 500 of these critically endangered animals in the North Atlantic.
• See what it's like to study these whales each year on the Aquarium's Right Whale Research Blog.