FLA. — NOAA is getting multiple reports of two adult female endangered North Atlantic right whales, nearshore in the Florida Panhandle between Panama City Beach and Destin.
The two are named Koala and Curlew. The whales are swimming in shallow waters, but both appear to be healthy. NOAA reports that it is rare for North Atlantic right whales to be sighted in Gulf of America waters.
Boaters and beach-goers are asked to report all sightings immediately to 877-WHALE-HELP so experts can monitor their movements and body conditions.
You are also asked to give whales space and keep a safe distance (at least 500 yards is the law).
How to identify right whales:
- Look for black/dark patches, whitewater, and splashes. Right whales tend to swim just below the surface and rest at the surface, making them difficult to spot.
- Shiny black skin, like killer whales and manta rays (some also have a black and white belly pattern).
- Stocky bodies and a broad, flat back with no dorsal fin.
- Wide, paddle-shaped flippers and a tail/fluke with smooth edges.
- V-shaped blow.
- Their heads have a black and off-white pattern that is unique to their species. Lumpy, rough skin patches, called callosities, appear light in color due to a small crab-like creature, called cyamids, living on the patches.
Koala is a 16-year-old whale, named for her koala-shaped callosity pattern.
Curlew is a 14-year-old, named for a scar on her back that resembles the beak of a curlew shorebird.
Since 2000, there have only been four other known instances of this occurring, NOAA reports.
