At a glance
- IUCN category
- CR · Critically Endangered
- Animal group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
Conservation overview
The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered large whales, with only a few hundred individuals left. It is assessed as Critically Endangered.
It is a slow-moving coastal baleen whale that skims plankton at the surface.
Range & habitat
Western North Atlantic, along the eastern coasts of the United States and Canada.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Ship strikes
- Entanglement in fishing gear
- A very small remaining population
Why it matters
With so few individuals remaining and deaths from ships and fishing gear outpacing births in some years, this whale is a high-stakes test of whether shipping and fisheries can be made wildlife-safe.
Sources
Sources for North Atlantic Right Whale
- IUCN Red List — look up North Atlantic Right Whale (authoritative status)
- NOAA Fisheries
- Animal Diversity Web
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the North Atlantic right whale so endangered?
Published assessments cite ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear as leading causes of death, against a backdrop of a very small population. See the IUCN Red List for the current assessment.
Why is it called a 'right' whale?
Whalers reportedly considered it the 'right' whale to hunt because it is slow, floats when killed, and stays near coasts — the very traits that made it easy to overhunt.
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