North Atlantic right whales gave birth to 11 babies this season.
That’s lower than scientists had hoped for given the endangered species has endured a high number of deaths in recent years.
As of Tuesday, there were about 370 of the whales left, according to the New England Aquarium.
Between November and April mother whales gave birth to 10 calves off the southeastern United States, and an 11th was recently discovered in Cape Cod Bay, the aquarium said Tuesday.
Three of those mothers bear scars from boat strikes.
“With past calf counts ranging from 39 to zero, we never know how any calving season will unfold. While the calf count is relatively low this year, I am encouraged by four new mothers being added to the reproductive pool,” said Philip Hamilton, a senior scientist in the aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center.
