Right Whale Have you ever wanted to be able to hold your breath underwater for an hour like the Right Whale? The right whale is the state marine mammal of Georgia. There are about 440 right whales left. They are labeled as endangered on the IUCN Red List. Right whales can live from 50-100 years old. They are called right whales because whalers (people that hunt whales) thought that they were the “right” whales to hunt.