Researchers spotted the first live right whale calf of the season off the coast of Cumberland Island Friday while surveying for them by plane. Then on Sunday researchers saw the second right whale baby just off the beach in north Florida.
The whale moms are nicknamed Chiminea and Millipede, the latter for the series of boat propeller scars down her back, said Georgia Department of Natural Resources Senior Biologist Clay George.
“They re both well known animals,” he said. “In fact, you remember we did a satellite tagging project of a few years ago? Chiminea was one of the females that…we tagged during that study.”