Phoenix: Related Content
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Phoenix and Her Calf Sighted in February 2012
Phoenix, the North Atlantic right whale whose replica hangs from the ceiling of the Sant Ocean Hall at the National Museum of Natural History, was sighted with a calf off of Amelia Island in Florida on February 22, 2012.
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The Smithsonian's Sant Ocean Hall
The Sant Ocean Hall is the National Museum of Natural History's largest exhibit, providing visitors with a unique and breathtaking introduction to the majesty of the ocean. The hall's combination of 674 marine specimens and models, high-definition video, and the newest technology allows visitors to explore the ocean's past, present, and future.
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Phoenix Sighting May 2010
Phoenix – our favorite North Atlantic Right Whale – was spotted feeding this week off the coast of New Hampshire! Researchers track these highly endangered whales (there are only about 450 of them left) very closely and use their skin markings to confirm sightings. The New England Aquarium keeps the catalog that records the life stories of these whales.
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When Ships Strike
Phoenix’s mother, Stumpy (#1004), was killed in a collision with a ship near Virginia in February 2004. She was pregnant with her sixth known calf. More about whales can be found in our Tale of a whale featured story.
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Meet Phoenix—One of about 450 remaining North Atlantic Right Whales
Since 1987, researchers have been tracking Phoenix. More about whales can be found in our Tale of a whale featured story.
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Model of Phoenix
A life-size, meticulously detailed model of the North Atlantic right whale Phoenix hangs in the Smithsonian’s Sant Ocean Hall in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC. More about Phoenix can be found in the Tale of a Whale photo essay.
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Work Site for Building the Model of Phoenix
Scaffolding and supports at the work site hold a life-size model of a North Atlantic right whale Phoenix—the “ambassador” of the Smithsonian’s Sant Ocean Hall in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC. Learn more about Phoenix's life in the Tale of a Right Whale photo essay.
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Ship and North Atlantic Right Whale
North Atlantic right whales and ocean-going vessels often cross paths. More about whales can be found in our Tale of a whale featured story.
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Can Right Whales Recover?
Phoenix rises out of the waters east of Cape Cod, MA, in April 2003. More about the right whale can be found in our Tale of a Right Whale photo essay.
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Finding Phoenix
Researchers have identified five areas of high North Atlantic right whale concentration between Canada and Florida. More about the right whale can be found in our Tale of a Whale featured story.
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Stumpy’s Tail
A view of the injured fluke belonging to Phoenix’s mother, Stumpy. It is not known what caused this injury. It possibly could have been an entanglement. More about whales can be found in our Tale of a whale featured story.
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Preparing to Hoist the Right Whale Model
Workers prepare to hoist the model of Phoenix, a model of an actual North Atlantic right whale, into position above the exhibit hall floor in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Learn the story of Phoenix in the Tale of a Whale photo essay.
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Beware of Fishing Gear
There were fewer than 450 North Atlantic right whales in 2006. Yet it has been illegal to hunt them since 1935. Why haven’t populations increased? Traits that made right whales easy to hunt make them vulnerable to ship collisions and fishing gear. Sometimes, as the whales feed, they get entangled in lines attached to gear at the bottom of the ocean. Phoenix’s entanglement badly injured her right lip, leaving a distinctive scar from that ordeal.
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Phoenix: Mouth Scarring
An early scale model of North Atlantic right whale Phoenix that was used to develop a life size model for the Smithsonian shows the location of scars on her mouth from entanglements with fishing gear. More about the right whale can be found in our Tale of a Whale featured story.
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How Whales Become Entangled
This illustration shows how fishing lines attached to traps and buoys on the ocean floor present a potentially deadly hazard to North Atlantic right whales. More about whales can be found in our Tale of a whale featured story.
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Close Up of Phoenix’s Callosities
The rough patches of skin known as callosities occur in unique patterns on all North Atlantic right whales and help researchers identify and track individual whales. This whale is named Phoenix. More about the right whale can be found in our Tale of a Whale featured story.
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Phoenix in George's Bank
Phoenix swims in George’s Bank, off the coast of New England, on March 13, 2009. More about whales can be found in our Tale of a whale featured story.
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Who’s That Whale?
A drawing of Phoenix from the Right Whale Catalog documents her callosity pattern and other identifying marks. More about whales can be found in our Tale of a whale featured story.
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Whale Products
Whale baleen was used in the manufacture of many consumer products. More about whales can be found in our Tale of a whale featured story.
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Phoenix in Bay of Fundy
Phoenix was photographed swimming off the coast of Canada in the Bay of Fundy in August 2007. More about the right whale can be found in our Tale of a Whale featured story.
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Phoenix near Maine
This photograph was snapped as Phoenix swam in the Gulf of Maine in July 2008. More about the right whale can be found in our Tale of a Whale featured story.
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Phoenix Feeding
Phoenix is seen skim feeding off the coast of Maine in August 2004. More about the right whale can be found in our Tale of a Whale featured story.
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Phoenix’s First Sighting
January 14, 1987: Phoenix is first spotted as she swims with her mother, Stumpy, off the coast of Georgia. More about whales can be found in our Tale of a whale featured story.
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A Tale of a Right Whale
Since 1987, researchers have been tracking the North Atlantic right whale named Phoenix. More about Phoenix can be found in the Tale of a Whale photo essay.
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Phoenix Sighting December 2009
The North Atlantic Right Whale named Phoenix was spotted in the Gulf of Maine in 2009! Researchers track these highly endangered whales (there are only about 450 of them left) very closely and use their skin markings to confirm sightings. The New England Aquarium keeps the catalog that records the life stories of these whales. Phoenix, a model of whom greets visitors in the Sant Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, has lived an extraordinary life and apparently is still thriving.
























