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Right Whales Experiencing Mini-Baby Boom Off New England

In this Thursday, April 11, 2019, photo provided by the Center for Coastal Studies, a baby right whale swims with its mother in Cape Cod Bay off Massachusetts. (Amy James/Center for Coastal Studies/NOAA permit 19315-1 via AP)
In this Thursday, April 11, 2019, photo provided by the Center for Coastal Studies, a baby right whale swims with its mother in Cape Cod Bay off Massachusetts. (Amy James/Center for Coastal Studies/NOAA permit 19315-1 via AP)

Whale researchers say an endangered species of whale is experiencing a mini-baby boom in New England waters.

The North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest species of whale on the planet. They number only about 411.

The Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Massachusetts, said Friday its aerial survey team spotted two mom and calf pairs. The whales were seen in Cape Cod Bay on Thursday. That brings the number seen in New England waters alone this year to three.

That's big news because the whale's population has been falling, and no calves were seen last year.

The whales give birth off Georgia and Florida in the winter and travel to feeding grounds off New England in the early spring.

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