by: Dagmar Fertl
There are two species of right whales, one found in the Northern Hemisphere and the other in the Southern Hemisphere. They were known as the "right" ones to kill by whalers because they provided high amounts of oil and whalebone as well as floated when dead. The scientific name is from "eu" (Greek for right), "balaena" (Latin for whale) and "australis" (Latin for southern).
The right whale is a black, robust animal that often has some white on the belly. Right whales have large heads with strongly bowed lower jaws and strongly arched upper jaws. Also present are callosities (raised, roughened patches of skin scattered over the head). There is no dorsal fin.
Like other baleen whales, the females are larger than the males. Adult females are on average 13.9 m, and based on information for northern right whales, probably weigh about 41 tons. At birth, they are about 6 m in length.
Its annual migration brings it closer than any other African baleen whale species to the shoreline of South Africa (Best, 1995 [see below]) and provides whalewatchers and researchers alike with established locations from which to view the whales.
Right whales can be found in coastal, warm waters of South Africa between June and January during which time calving and mating occurs. From February through April, the whales move south, where they feed on a type of plankton called copepods in cold, stormy waters. Individual right whales can be identified by the pattern of callosities on their heads. Right whales produce low frequency sounds to communicate with one another. Right whales are often found with cyamids or "whale lice" living on their callosities. These tiny creatures don't hurt the whales, but instead feed on dead, sloughing skin.
Like the northern right whale, the southern right whale was at one time taken in large numbers by commercial whaling fleets. Southern right whale populations are small, but not as low as those of its northern counterpart. Southern right whales get entangled in fishing gear, hit by ships, and are vulnerable to habitat degradation. The good news is that some southern right whale populations are actually increasing in number.
Vulnerable.
Best, P.B. 1995. Whale Watching in South Africa: the Southern Right Whale. Marine Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria 0002 South Africa. (WWF booklet)
Greig, J.C. 1983. A Struggle for Survival- the Southern Right Whale in South African Waters. African Wildlife 37(1): 19-23.
Jefferson, T.A. Leatherwood, S. and M.A. Webber. 1994. FAO Species Identification Guide, Marine Mammals of the World. FAO of the United Nations, Rome.
Leatherwood, S. and R.R. Reeves. 1987. The Sierra Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins. Sierra Club Books, San Fransisco.
Hermanus-Heart of the Whale Coast
Office of Protected Resources Home Page
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web Home Page
URL for this page: http://csiwhalesalive.org/csirightwhale.html