A rare appearance of sperm whales were seen in the waters of the nation's lone national monument southeast of Cape Cod recently.
Listed as vulnerable under the Endangered Species Act since 1970, two adult whales and a calf were spotted during a routine aerial survey over the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.
It is the first sighting in six years of the species in this area.
Located about 130 miles southeast of Cape Cod, the more than 49-hundred square mile area was created in 2016.
(Photo by ANDERSON COELHO/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: ANDERSON COELHO / AFP / Getty Images