Florida wildlife officials captured the first right whales of the season recently, and the photos have been circulating widely.
The rare species moves south each winter seeking warmer waters in which to give birth. They typically live off the cost of Canada and New England.
The photos by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission show the a mother and her calf swimming around.
The scenes were captured during the commission’s annual survey.
The mother in the photos has been named Harmony by the officials, which took the pictures about 10 miles east of Jekyll Island on Dec. 10.
Harmony is 15 years old and the calf is her third.
According to the Smithsonian, right whales are one of the world’s largest animals, weighing up to 70 tons and stretching up to 55 feet long.
