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Endangered Species Day 2015

May 15 is Endangered Species Day. In 2010, a team that included experts from WHOI placed non-invasive DTAGs on one of the largest endangered species, and one that frequents the waters near the Institution: the North Atlantic right whale. With fewer than 500 individuals remaining in the wild they are one of the most endangered animals on Earth. Right whales spend summers feeding in the waters around the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, where they face threats ranging from ship strikes to entanglement. Scientists are working to study right whale behavior to learn how to protect these majestic animals. (Photo by Edward F. Dow, III, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Image collected pursuant to NOAA Permit No. 775-1875)