Pygmy right whale
Caperea marginata
By: Dagmar Fertl
Edited by: Poul Vendel
The name:
The Latin for caperea means "to wrinkle" which refers to
the earbone in this species. The latin meaning for Marginata is "enclose with a border" which refers to the dark border observed on
the baleen of this species.
The look:
This species shares characteristics of the rorquals and the right whales.
This is the only right whale with a dorsal fin. It is set 2/3 the way
down the back. This whale is streamlined and has a smaller head than other
right whales. The pygmy right whale has an arched jawline, and the upper jaw
curves downward toward the tip. There are two shallow throat creases. Its
flippers are slender and small with rounded tips.
The size:
The pygmy right whale reaches a maximum length of approximately 6.5 m with a
weight of
at least 3,2 tons.
The location in Africa:
There are records of this whale off the South Africa coast. This species does not
appear to move south of the Antarctic Convergence at about 60 degrees south, nor
does it move north of 30 degrees south.
Interesting facts:
This speices, we know about the least amoungst the baleen whale species. The
pygmy right whales are typically seen in pairs or singles and feed on copepods.
Human impacts:
Some individual pygmy right whales are caught accidentally in nets off South Africa.
Status:
Insufficiently known.
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