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 rotund bodies, arching rostrums, 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 migrate seasonally, moving to find food or to give birth. 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. During courtship, males compete for females, and after a year of gestation, calves are weaned at eight months old.

Historically, right whales were often hunted because they are slow, float when killed, and have lots of blubber that makes rich oil. 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. But 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 debated 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. There was also an old idea about a "Swedenborg whale", but scientists now think it 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 that makes up a big part of their length. The North Pacific right whale is often the biggest of the three types.

These whales have a special way of breathing 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, which help protect them. Each whale’s pattern of these patches is unique, like a fingerprint.

Right whales have a lot of thick fat under their skin, which helps them stay afloat after they die. This fat is not very heavy, unlike that of other whales. Some right whales, especially those in the southern areas, have extra fat behind their breathing holes, showing they are healthy and have enough food.

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. Because the ocean is so big, it is hard to know exactly how many right whales there are, but we do have some estimates:

• About 400 North Atlantic right whales live in the North Atlantic.
• Around 23 North Pacific right whales are known in the eastern North Pacific.
• Roughly 15,000 southern right whales live in the southern part of the Southern Hemisphere.

Right whales are some of the most endangered large animals in the world. Sadly, if things don’t change, they might disappear in the next 200 years.

Life history

Right whales move slowly through the water, usually going no faster than 9 kilometers per hour. Even so, they can jump completely out of the water, hit the surface with their tails, 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, filling them with water and food, then push the water out through special plates in their mouths to keep the food inside.

Right whales make simple sounds like groans and pops, mostly to communicate with each other. Scientists think these sounds help the whales stay in touch with their group. When they hear loud, high-pitched noises similar to police sirens, they quickly come to the surface, which might help scientists protect them from ships.

During mating season, groups of male right whales gather around a single female. The females can choose their mates without the males fighting too fiercely. 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, weighing about a ton and measuring between 4 and 6 meters long. They grow quickly in their first year, often doubling in length. Scientists think right whales can live for many decades, possibly over a hundred years, based on studies of similar whales.

Relationship to humans

Whaling

Main article: History of whaling

In the early days of whaling before 1712, right whales were the main ones hunters could catch for three reasons:

• They often swam near the shore, where lookouts could see them, and hunters could reach them from the beach.
• They swim slowly, so hunters could follow them in their boats.
• After being caught with harpoons, they usually floated, making them easy to retrieve. However, sometimes they sank (10–30% in the North Pacific) and were lost unless they washed ashore later.

The Basque people were the first to hunt right whales for trade, starting as early as the 11th century in the Bay of Biscay. They wanted oil at first, but later used the whales for food too. Basque hunters reached eastern Canada by 1530 and the shores of Todos os Santos Bay in Bahia, Brazil, by 1602. The last Basque trips happened before the Seven Years' War (1756–1763). Trying to restart whaling after the war didn’t work. Basque shore whaling happened only sometimes into the 1800s.

"Yankee whalers" from the new American colonies took over from the Basques. Sailing from Nantucket, Massachusetts and Long Island, New York, they caught up to a hundred whales in good years. By 1750, hunting the North Atlantic right whale was mostly finished. Yankee whalers then moved to the South Atlantic before the end of the 1700s. The farthest southern Brazilian whaling station opened in 1796, in Imbituba. Over the next hundred years, Yankee whaling spread to the Southern and Pacific Oceans. They were joined by fleets from several European countries. By the early 1900s, whaling became much more industrial, and the number of whales caught grew fast. According to whalers’ records, by 1937 they had caught 38,000 in the South Atlantic, 39,000 in the South Pacific, 1,300 in the Indian Ocean, and 15,000 in the North Pacific. These records may not tell the full story, so the real number was likely higher.

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 twenty-three Pacific right whales in the 1940s and more under special research permits in the 1960s. 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 at least 3,212 southern right whales during the 1950s and '60s, though they said they only caught four.

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 (July–October), southern right whales come so close to the shore that visitors can see them from certain hotels. The town even has a "whale crier" who walks around town telling 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 when mothers and their calves are often seen. The old whaling station there is now a museum about the whales. In winter, Península Valdés in Patagonia hosts the biggest group of these whales, with over 2,000 animals known by the Whale Conservation Institute and Ocean Alliance.

Conservation

Right whales in both the North Atlantic and North Pacific are considered in danger of disappearing forever. In the United States, they are listed as "endangered" under special protection laws. The southern right whale also has similar protections in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and Brazil.

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

Threats

The biggest danger to North Atlantic right whales is being hit by ships, especially since they travel through busy shipping areas. Another big problem is getting caught in fishing ropes and nets. These ropes can wrap around the whales and hurt them, but sometimes people can help free the whales if they see them tangled.