Northern right whales were hunted for at least 800 years until they became so rare that it was no longer commercially viable to hunt them. Biology made them and southern right whales the "right" whales to hunt, especially when whaling was less sophisticated than it is today. Learn more about the Eubalaena glacialis, more commonly known as a North Atlantic Right Whale, in this easy-to-read species overview by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.