Overview

• Southern right whales can live beyond 130 years, with some individuals potentially reaching 150, nearly double earlier lifespan estimates.
• Critically endangered North Atlantic right whales have an average lifespan of just 22 years, primarily due to human-caused threats like fishing gear entanglements and ship strikes.
• The study used decades of photo identification data to construct survivorship curves, revealing significant differences between the two closely related species.
• The loss of older whales disrupts the transfer of cultural and survival knowledge, impacting population recovery and resilience.
• Researchers suggest recovery of whale populations to pre-whaling levels could take over a century, emphasizing the need for long-term conservation strategies.