Southern right whale
Eubalaena australis
By: Dagmar Fertl
Edited by: Poul Vendel
The name:
There are two different kinds of right whales, one located in the Northern Hemisphere
and the other in the Southern Hemisphere. They were known as the
"right" ones to hunt by whalers because they had high amounts of
oil and whalebone as well as floating when they were dead. The scientific name is from
"eu" (Greek for right), "balaena" (Latin for whale) and
"australis" (Latin for southern).
The look:
The right whale is a black, robust animal that often has some white on the
belly. Right whales have big 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.
A Drawing of a Southern Right Whale
The size:
Like other baleen whales, the females are bigger than the males. Adult
females are on average 13.9 m, and are based on knowledge for the northern right
whales, probably weigh about 41 tons. At birth, they are about 6 m in length.
The location in Africa:
Its annual migration brings it closer than any other African baleen whale
species to the South Africa shoreline and provides
whalewatchers and researchers alike with established places from which to watch the whales.
Interesting facts:
Right whales can be found in coastal, warm waters of South Africa between
June and January during this 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 noices to talk with one another. Right whales are often
found with cyamids or "whale lice" living on their callosities. These
tiny creatures don't damage the whales, but instead feed on dead, sloughing skin.
Human impacts:
Like the northern right whale, the southern right whale was at one time taken
in in big numbers by commercial whalers. Southern right whale numbers are small, but not as low as those of its northern counterpart. Southern right
whales get stuck in fishing gear, hit by ships, and are vulnerable to
habitat degradation. The good news is that some southern right whale numbers are actually increasing.
Status:
Vulnerable.
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