Researchers say they have spotted the first newborn North Atlantic right whale of the calving season in waters off the Georgia coast.

Clay George of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources says an aerial survey team spotted the right whale calf swimming beside its mother Friday near Sapelo Island.

Right whales are highly endangered and researchers believe as few as 350 still exist. Biologists closely monitor waters along the southern Atlantic coast during the calving season from December through March.

George says it's too early to say how this season will compare to last year, when officials documented 19 right whale calves off the U.S. coast.

Tags: right whales, Georgia coast, Whale babies, Whale calves