Rare blue whales spotted 130 miles east of Connecticut

One of the whales spotted Februrary, 2020 in the deep Atlantic ocean east of Connecticut. One of the whales spotted Februrary, 2020 in the deep Atlantic ocean east of Connecticut. Photo: New England Aquarium Photo: New England Aquarium Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Rare blue whales spotted 130 miles east of Connecticut 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

Blue whales have been spotted in the Atlantic Ocean east of the Connecticut shoreline.

This month, researchers from the New England Aquarium surveyed the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument about 130 miles southeast of Cape Cod, according to a release from the aquarium

Within six hours, the researchers had counted 322 whales and dolphins, including two blue whales.

“As marine mammal researchers, it’s such a thrill to fly in this area and see such a great diversity of animals,” researcher Orla O’Brien said in a release.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association lists blue whales as endangered. The exact population size is not known, but there were only 440 confirmed sightings in the Atlantic Ocean between 1979 and 2009.

According to current estimates, there may be as few as 250 individual blue whales left in the Atlantic.

According to NOAA, “Blue whales are the largest animals ever to live on our planet.”

The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument consists of approximately 4,913 square miles, about the size of Connecticut.

In addition to the blue whales, the team documented pilot, fin, sei, humpback, sperm, and Sowerby’s beaked whales.