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January 14, 1987: Phoenix is first spotted as she swims with her mother, Stumpy, off the coast of Georgia.
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Phoenix’s First Sighting

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Phoenix the right whale diving in North Atlantic.
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Right Whale Tail

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This photo provides a small glimpse of the amazing variety of whale skulls and skeletons available for study at the Smithsonian.
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Whale Collections

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Hundreds to thousands of tiny crustaceans live on each right whale, eating algae that settles on their skin.
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Whale Lice

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A team works to free a one-year-old right whale from fishing ropes wrapped and knotted around its body and flippers.
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Whale Rescue

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An early scale model of North Atlantic right whale Phoenix indicates the location of scars on her tail from entanglements with fishing gear.
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Phoenix: Tail Scarring

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Phoenix’s mother, Stumpy (number 1004), was killed in a collision with a ship near Virginia in February 2004. She was pregnant with her sixth known calf.
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When Ships Strike

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A humpback whale breaching in Antarctic waters.
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Humpback Whale in Antarctic Waters

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A vaquita swim in the ocean.
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A History Entwined: Vaquita, Totoaba, Fishermen

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A graph showing the population decline of vaquitas from 1997 to 2019. In 1997, there were 567 vaquitas. In 2012, there were 200. By 2014 there were fewer than 100, and by 2019 there was an estimated 6 to 9 vaquitas left.
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A Population in Decline

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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.
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Phoenix: Mouth Scarring

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A close up view of Phoenix and the rough patches of skin known as callosities that are found on all North Atlantic right whales.
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Phoenix’s Callosities

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