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North Atlantic Right Whale Breaching

Preview A right whale breaches, lifting its huge body out of the water.
(Courtesy of the New England Aquarium)

The North Atlantic right whale is one of the world's largest animals, but scientists estimate that fewer than 450 remain. In the past, they were hunted for their oil and baleen; now they get tangled up in fishing lines, which weaken and eventually kill them. Watch a video about entanglement from WHOI, meet a right whale named Phoenix, and learn more about their biology and why so few remain.