DENNIS, Mass. — March 14, 2014 — Move over, snowy owls. The latest creatures to captivate binocular-toting beachgoers could be the biggest draw of them all.
At least a dozen rare and enormous North Atlantic right whales have been observed feeding in Cape Cod Bay closer to shore than normal in the Mid-Cape area, mainly off Dennis beaches. During high tides, curious nature enthusiasts have descended on sandy spots such as Mayflower Beach this week to catch a glimpse of the massive mammals in the distance.
Charles "Stormy" Mayo, a senior scientist for Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, said right whales typically feed a mile or more out at sea in this area, so the ability to spot them from shore presents a "very special opportunity."
The right whales are there for the delicious seafood, but if the food moves, so could they. It's unclear how long the giants of the deep will stick around off the Dennis coast.
"There's a very dense concentration of plankton that has been really wafted in by currents up close to the shore, and the right whales have followed it in as they always do — into the shallow waters close to the Dennis shore," Mayo said.
North Atlantic right whales — which are about 56 feet long and weigh up to 70 tons — call Cape Cod Bay waters home during the winter and spring seasons. There are only 510 North Atlantic right whales in the world, according to the Provincetown center.
Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times