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Southern right whale
Balaena australis
Subspecies
Status uncertain - possibly subspecies.
Statistics
Southern right whales are up to 18m long and weigh 30-80 tonnes. Their large heads can make up a third of the body length.
Physical Description
They are dark grey or black and may have irregular white patches on their undersides. They are often covered in barnacles and callosities and have a rounded body and arched mouthline. They lack a dorsal fin.
Distribution
These whales inhabit the southern hemisphere in temperate and subpolar regions. They feed in Antarctic waters and migrate to sheltered bays off New Zealand, South Africa and Australia where the females give birth.
Diet
They feed mainly on small crustaceans.
Behaviour
They live singly or in groups of 3-4 individuals.
Reproduction
Mating and birthing takes place in the warmer waters in the spring. They breed slowly, only every 3-4 years. Southern right whales reach sexual maturity after 5-10 years.
Conservation status
Although they have been protected since 1937, they are still endangered and are recovering very slowly due to their slow reproductive rate. Southern right whales were hunted to near extinction in the 1800s.
Notes
Southern right whales are named 'right whales' because whalers considered them the right whales to hunt.
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