In rare sightings, scientists spot blue whales in waters off Martha's Vineyard

"Seeing blue whales outside of their Canadian feeding grounds is rare in the Atlantic. Finding them in two different areas of the ocean just 24 hours apart was a first for us. The sightings likely indicate that oceanographic conditions are changing in ways that may be drawing these whales to new areas."

"Blue whales, the largest animals to ever have existed on Earth, are an endangered species that can be found globally. Relatively little is known about a population that lives in the western North Atlantic Ocean, which is thought to contain between 400 and 600 individuals, according to the aquarium."

Scientists from the New England Aquarium observed multiple blue whales in southern New England waters in late February, marking an exceptionally rare occurrence. One blue whale was spotted on February 27 near the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, approximately 130 miles southeast of Cape Cod. The following day, two additional blue whales were sighted just 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard, representing the first documented blue whale sighting in the aquarium's southern New England survey area. Blue whales are the largest animals ever to exist and are endangered species. The western North Atlantic population contains between 400 and 600 individuals. Researchers typically study this population during summer feeding season in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, making sightings outside this region uncommon.

Read at Boston.com