World

Six stories of incredible sea creature encounters. Take a look

Stories by Real-Time News journalists, with AI summarization

In Australia, rescuers sprang into action to free a humpback calf from a deadly shark net as its mother watched. Off Timor-Leste, rare footage showed a blue whale nursing her calf — offering a glimpse into a behavior scientists rarely witness. Meanwhile, sharp-eyed researchers documented a gathering of North Atlantic right whales off Maine.

Read the stories below.

Some of the first-ever evidence of blue whale reproduction has been documented in the Pacific Ocean, according to new research. Photo from Georg Wolf, UnSplash

NO. 1: BLUE WHALE SEEN NURSING CALF IN ONE OF THE ‘FIRST EVER’ RECORDED INSTANCES, VIDEO SHOWS

The video, in addition to other research, provides a glimpse into their mysterious reproductive habits, Australian researchers said. | Published July 8, 2024 | Read Full Story by Brendan Rascius

A baby humpback whale (not the one pictured) entangled in shark control netting was rescued off the coast of Australia, video footage shows. Photo from Heloise Delbos via Unsplash

NO. 2: WHALE CALF REUNITED WITH MOTHER AFTER RESCUE FROM SHARK NET OFF AUSTRALIA, VIDEO SHOWS

The mother waited patiently nearby throughout the rescue process, Sea World Foundation officials said. | Published October 7, 2024 | Read Full Story by Brendan Rascius

Over 75 extremely rare sea creatures — about “20% of the entire population” — were spotted off the coast of Maine, photos show. Photo by Leon Bredella via Unsplash

NO. 3: EXTREMELY RARE SEA CREATURES — ABOUT 20% OF ‘ENTIRE POPULATION’ — FEED OFF MAINE COAST

Photos show the critically endangered species. | Published January 16, 2025 | Read Full Story by Brooke Baitinger

A sea creature was spotted off the coast of Hawaii, researchers said. Akira Hojo Unsplash

NO. 4: ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ SEA CREATURE SEEN OFF COAST OF HAWAII. SEE PHOTO THAT TELLS ‘A STORY’

Markings like this help researchers keep track of the sea creatures. | Published January 29, 2025 | Read Full Story by Paloma Chavez

A surprise ocean visitor made an appearance off the coast of Sydney, Australia. Street View Image from August 2020 © 2025 Google

NO. 5: ‘MAJESTIC’ OCEAN CREATURE MAKES SURPRISE APPEARANCE OFF AUSTRALIA. ‘UNFORGETTABLE’

The visitor may have made a wrong turn, biologists told new outlets. | Published January 30, 2025 | Read Full Story by Irene Wright

A pair of rare North Atlantic right whales were seen by researchers off the coast of Massachusetts, bringing hope for the endangered species, experts said. Getty Images/iStockphoto

NO. 6: ENDANGERED CREATURE SURFACES OFF MA COAST, THEN MOM APPEARS. SEE ‘EXCITING’ PHOTO

Researchers said the sighting “brings hope for the species,” which is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. | Published March 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Natalie Demaree

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.