North Atlantic right whale: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the North Atlantic right whale lives – recorded in 3 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Eubalaena glacialis
Group	Whales & dolphins
Status	Critically endangered (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	3 countries
Continents	Europe, North America
Class	Mammal
Order	Artiodactyla
Family	Balaenidae

Where does the North Atlantic right whale live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the North Atlantic right whale in 3 countries and territories across Europe and North America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the North Atlantic right whale endangered?

The North Atlantic right whale’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Critically endangered” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the North Atlantic right whale?

The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is a mammal in the order Artiodactyla and the family Balaenidae, genus Eubalaena. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the North Atlantic right whale

The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is a baleen whale, one of three right whale species belonging to the genus Eubalaena, all of which were formerly classified as a single species. Because of their docile nature, their slow surface-skimming feeding behaviors, their tendencies to stay close to the coast, and their high blubber content (which makes them float when they are killed, and which produces high yields of whale oil), right whales were once a preferred target for whalers. At present, they are among the most endangered whales in the world, and they are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act and Canada's Species at Risk Act. As of 2026, there are an estimated 380 individuals, including 70 breeding females. They migrate between feeding grounds in the Labrador Sea and their winter calving areas off Georgia and Florida, an ocean area with heavy shipping traffic. In the eastern North Atlantic, on the other hand—with a total population reaching into the low teens at most—scientists believe that they may become functionally extinct in the next two decades. Vessel strikes and entanglement in fixed fishing gear, which together account for nearly half of all North Atlantic right whale mortality since 1970, are their two greatest threats to recovery.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article North Atlantic right whale (revision 1381334461), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q193683 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).