Right whale

Right whales are three species of large baleen whales in the genus Eubalaena. They include the North Atlantic right whale, the North Pacific right whale, and the southern right whale. These whales have round bodies, curved heads, V-shaped blowholes, and dark gray or black skin. A special feature is the rough, white patches of skin on their heads caused by whale lice.

These whales move to different places at different times to find food or to have their babies. In the Northern Hemisphere, they often stay near peninsulas and bays, while in the Southern Hemisphere, they feed far from shore in summer but come closer to land in winter. Right whales mainly eat copepods but also krill and pteropods.

Right whales used to be hunted a lot because they are slow and float when they die, and they have lots of blubber. Today, the biggest dangers come from ships hitting them and getting tangled in fishing gear. The North Atlantic and North Pacific right whales are among the most endangered whales in the world.

Naming

Right whales were often hunted because they float when killed and stay near the shore. They are gentle and don’t run away from boats, which made them easy targets for hunters. We’re not sure why they are called “right” whales. Some think it might mean they are the “true” or “proper” whales.

The scientific name Eubalaena means “good or true whales.” The three types of right whales have specific names: glacialis for the North Atlantic, australis for the Southern Hemisphere, and japonica for the North Pacific.

scientific names

Taxonomy

The right whales were first grouped together by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Over time, scientists have talked about how many species there are.

In 2000, studies of DNA showed that the right whales in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Southern Ocean are three separate species. They have not mixed for millions of years.

The pygmy right whale is not actually a right whale. It belongs to a different family. Scientists now think the old idea called the "Swedenborg whale" was just a North Atlantic right whale or a bowhead whale.

Characteristics

See also: Whale anatomy

Right whales are large animals, usually between 13 and 16 meters long. They have thick bodies and wide, flat flippers. Their tails have a special shape.

These whales breathe in a way that makes a wide V-shaped spray of air. Their skin is mostly dark, sometimes with lighter spots. They also have rough, white patches on their heads. Each whale’s pattern of these patches is unique, like a fingerprint.

Right whales have a lot of thick fat under their skin. This fat helps them stay afloat after they die. Some right whales, especially those in the southern areas, have extra fat behind their breathing holes.

Range and habitat

There are three types of right whales, and they live in different parts of the world. The North Atlantic right whale lives in the western Atlantic Ocean, from places like New York to Newfoundland. The North Pacific right whale is found in a narrow band from Japan to Alaska, and the southern right whale lives in the Southern Ocean.

Right whales like to stay close to shorelines, peninsulas, and bays because these places give them shelter and food. Even though they sometimes travel far across the ocean, they are not considered to live far out at sea.

Right whales are some of the most endangered large animals in the world.

Life history

Right whales move slowly through the water, usually going no faster than 9 kilometers per hour. They can jump completely out of the water and splash around playfully.

These whales eat tiny animals called zooplankton, especially small creatures known as copepods, as well as krill and pteropods. They swim with their mouths open to catch food.

Right whales make simple sounds like groans and pops to talk to each other.

During mating season, groups of male right whales gather around a single female. Female right whales usually have their first calf when they are about 8 years old and then have new calves every three to five years.

Right whale calves are born in the winter. They grow quickly in their first year. Scientists think right whales can live for many decades.

Relationship to humans

Whaling

Main article: History of whaling

In the early days of whaling, right whales were easy for hunters to catch for three reasons:

• They often swam near the shore, where hunters could see them.
• They swim slowly, so hunters could follow them in their boats.
• After being caught, they usually floated, making them easy to find.

The Basque people were the first to hunt right whales, starting in the 11th century in the Bay of Biscay. They wanted oil and later used the whales for food. Basque hunters reached eastern Canada by 1530 and Todos os Santos Bay in Bahia, Brazil, by 1602. The last Basque trips happened before the Seven Years' War.

"Yankee whalers" from the American colonies took over. Sailing from Nantucket, Massachusetts and Long Island, New York, they caught many whales. By 1750, hunting the North Atlantic right whale mostly stopped. Yankee whalers then moved to the South Atlantic. The farthest southern Brazilian whaling station opened in 1796, in Imbituba. Over time, whaling spread to the Southern and Pacific Oceans. By the early 1900s, whaling became more industrial, and the number of whales caught grew fast.

When it became clear that right whale numbers were getting very low, the world agreed to stop hunting them in 1937. This ban worked for the most part, though some illegal hunting continued for many years. Madeira caught its last two right whales in 1968. Japan caught some Pacific right whales in the 1940s and more later. Illegal whaling went on for many years off the coast of Brazil, and the Imbituba station kept processing right whales until 1973. The Soviet Union illegally caught many southern right whales during the 1950s and '60s.

Whale watching

Main article: Whale watching

The southern right whale has made Hermanus, South Africa, a top place for watching whales. During the winter months, southern right whales come close to the shore, and visitors can see them from certain hotels. The town even has a "whale crier" who tells people where whales have been spotted. In Brazil, Imbituba in Santa Catarina is known as the National Right Whale Capital and holds a Right Whale Week celebration every September. The old whaling station there is now a museum about the whales. In winter, Península Valdés in Patagonia hosts many of these whales, with over 2,000 animals known by the Whale Conservation Institute and Ocean Alliance.

Conservation

Right whales in the North Atlantic and North Pacific are in danger of disappearing. In the United States, they are protected by special laws. The southern right whale also has protections in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and Brazil.

To protect these whales, rules were made to slow down ships in areas where whales gather. This helps prevent ships from hitting the whales. These rules started in 2009 and cover many areas along the U.S. coast when whales are present.

Threats

The biggest danger to North Atlantic right whales is being hit by ships. They often travel through busy areas where ships are. Another problem is getting caught in fishing ropes and nets. These ropes can wrap around the whales and hurt them. Sometimes people can help free the whales if they see them tangled.