earthstory:

tedhesser

Rare
footage of the most endangered whale on earth, the North American right
whale. I captured this yesterday in the middle of Pacific Ocean, and
can’t believe the rainbow created by its spout. These whales were almost
whaled to extinction in the 19th century. In the mid 20th century
illegal whaling kept the numbers down despite many efforts to
resuscitate the population. Having seen a number of whales on our trip
so far, I’ve noticed that most whales dive deep upon first sight of our
boat. Whereas this whale, the right whale, hovered around the surface
and near the boat for hours. We think that’s why they are endangered,
and apparently is even where the name came from. Essentially they were
the easiest targets in the whaling frenzy of a bygone era. A friend of
mine sent me a note that @nrdc_org has launched a global campaign to save these magical creatures. Let us
know if you want photos or footage, we’ve got a bunch now! Pretty stoked
we were able to spend a few hours with this guy yesterday.