Endangered whale and newborn calf make rare winter visit to NYC waters: Sign of hope

It was a whale of a surprise.An endangered North Atlantic right whale and her calf were spotted splashing in waters off of New York City last week — marking an exceptional visit from a rare species.Momma Accordion and her not-yet-named newborn were pictured frolicking in the frigid waters of the Port of New York and New Jersey, roughly 15 miles east of Sandy Hook, on Feb.3, according to whaling experts.While North Atlantic rights are not an uncommon sight in the waterway this time of year, it is very unusual to see a newborn so far north, explained Chris St.

Lawrence, of the south Brooklyn research center Gotham Whale.“We don’t know if this baby was born here in the New York Bight or if he was born down south and they came up here,” St.Lawrence told The Post Tuesday.“It’s quite notable that they’re here right now at this time of year when they will generally be further south.

These animals are critically endangered, and so every pair is important, but it’s especially rare to have a pair up here outside of their normal birthing range.”The newborn is the first for Accordion, who has been on researchers’ radar since 2011, when she was first seen with “distinct propeller scars on her back that made researchers think of a musical instrument,” according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.Researchers are not sure of the calf’s age, but estimate it could be as young as just a few weeks.The sweet pair are two of just an estimated 372 North Atlantic right whales alive today, making the species among the most endangered in the world.But they might not be the only North Atlantic right whales currently in Big Apple waters.Acoustic buoys stationed throughout the New York Bight, which extends along the Atlantic coast from New Jersey’s Cape May Inlet to the eastern tip of Long Island, detected more of the leviathans on Monday, researchers say.Adult right whales are known to start making their way north this time of year after spendin...