Endangered right whale gal pals Curlew and Koala spotted in Canada
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Two right whales take rogue winter trip across the Gulf coast
Two female right whales traveled across the U.S. Gulf coast during the winter which is rare for the endangered whales, according to researchers.
A pair of endangered right whales that made several surprise appearances off Florida's west coast this winter have returned to their feeding grounds in the North Atlantic.
"After taking a nice little Spring Break trip in the tropics, the pair was seen a few days ago," said Erin Vande Ven, a senior communications manager with Oceana, an ocean conservation advocacy group.
The gal pals, named Curlew and Koala, were seen on May 15 in the Gulf of St. Lawrence north of Canada's Prince Edward Island, Canadian officials said during an international right whale team meeting on Wednesday, Vande Ven said. The pair was spotted by an aircraft with the Conservation and Protection Program within Fisheries and Oceans Canada, according to interactive maps published by the U.S. and Canada.
On maps, it appears they traveled a distance of roughly 2,700 miles since they were seen off St. Petersburg 34 days earlier, on April 11. That's an average of about 3.3 mph.
Curlew and Koala spent almost three months off Florida's west coast, swimming north and south from near St. Petersburg to beaches along the western Panhandle a couple of times. Whale advocates worried the wayward whales might linger too long in the much warmer Gulf of America, formerly called the Gulf of Mexico.
However, after Koala and Curlew were seen on April 11, they were next seen four days later off Bimini in the Bahamas. No known sightings were reported until the pair was spotted on May 15.
A portion of the endangered right whale population migrates south to the waters of the U.S. Southeastern coast each winter, including pregnant females, juvenile whales and random male and female adult whales from the waters off New England and Nova Scotia. They navigate through busy shipping lanes and fishing grounds. It's uncommon for any of those whales to keep swimming south and around the Florida Keys.
Right whales are identified by individual markings on their heads and bodies, with extensive photo catalogues managed by the New England Aquarium. Because they are critically endangered, with only an estimated 372 remaining, they are monitored by both the U.S. and Canadian governments, with a variety of agencies and nonprofits participating in efforts to conduct whale surveys and sighting networks.
During the most recent calving season, 11 mother calf pairs were spotted in the waters between Florida and New England, far below the number officials say is needed to sustain the population. Scientists with Oceana and governmental and conservation organizations say the whales also face dangers from entanglement in commercial crabbing and fishing gear and vessel strikes.
Dinah Voyles Pulver covers climate change, wildlife and the environment for USA TODAY. Reach her at dpulver@usatoday.com or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.
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