Which critically endangered whale species has a population estimated at fewer than 400 in the North Atlantic?

The North Atlantic right whale is the critically endangered whale species whose population is estimated at fewer than 400 in the North Atlantic. Recent estimates have placed the population in the mid-to-high 300s, making it one of the rarest large whales on Earth.

The species was heavily hunted because its slow movements, tendency to float after death, and thick blubber made it an especially desirable target. Although commercial whaling protections arrived decades ago, modern threats continue to prevent a strong recovery. Ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are the two leading human-caused dangers.

Most surviving North Atlantic right whales are found in the western North Atlantic, especially along the coasts of the United States and Canada. They migrate between feeding grounds farther north and calving areas off the southeastern United States.

The name “right whale” comes from historic whalers, who considered these whales the “right” ones to hunt. They are not the same species as southern right whales or North Pacific right whales.