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Right whale

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Mammals

                            iRight whales
   Atlantic Northern Right Whale breaching.
   Atlantic Northern Right Whale breaching.
   Size comparison against an average human
   Size comparison against an average human

                             Conservation status

   Endangered
                      Scientific classification

   Kingdom:  Animalia
   Phylum:   Chordata
   Class:    Mammalia
   Order:    Cetacea
   Suborder: Mysticeti
   Family:   Balaenidae
             Gray, 1821
   Genus:    Balaena
             Linnaeus, 1758
   Genus:    Eubalaena
             Gray, 1864
   Species:  B. mysticetus
             E. australis
             E. glacialis
             E. japonica

                                Binomial name

   Balaena mysticetus
   Linnaeus, 1758
   Bowhead Whale range
   Bowhead Whale range
   Eubalaena australis
   (Desmoulins, 1822)
   Range of the Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
   Range of the Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
   Eubalaena glacialis
   ( Müller, 1776)
   Range of the Atlantic Northern Right Whale, Eubalaena glacialis.
   Range of the Atlantic Northern Right Whale, Eubalaena glacialis.
   Eubalaena japonica
   ( Lacépède, 1818)
   Range of the Pacific Northern Right Whale, Eubalaena japonica.
   Range of the Pacific Northern Right Whale, Eubalaena japonica.

   Right whales are baleen whales belonging to the family Balaenidae.
   Three right whale species are recognized in the genus Eubalaena, while
   the Bowhead Whale—also a right whale—is placed in its own genus,
   Balaena.

   Right whales can grow up to 18  m (60  feet) long and weigh up to 100
   tonnes. Their rotund bodies are mostly black, with distinctive white
   callosities (skin abrasions) on their heads. They are called "right
   whales" because whalers thought the whales were the "right" ones to
   hunt, as they float when killed and often swim within sight of the
   shore. Populations were vastly reduced by intensive harvesting during
   the active years of the whaling industry. Today, instead of hunting
   them, people often watch these acrobatic whales for pleasure.

   The four right whale species live in distinct locations: around 300
   Atlantic Northern Right Whales live in the North Atlantic;
   approximately 200 Pacific Northern Right Whales live in the North
   Pacific; about 7,500 Southern Right Whales are spread throughout the
   southern part of the Southern Hemisphere; and 8,000–9,200 Bowhead
   Whales are distributed entirely in the Arctic Ocean.

Taxonomy

   After many years of shifting views on the number of right whale
   species, recent genetic evidence has led scientists in the field to
   conclude that there are four distinct species of right whale. These
   species have traditionally been allocated to two genera.

   The Bowhead Whale is clearly an individual species and has been
   classified alone in its own genus since the work of Gray in 1821 (see
   Bowhead Whale for further details). The remaining three species are
   classified together in a separate genus. There is, however, little
   genetic evidence to support this two-genera view. Indeed, scientists
   see greater differences between the three Balaenoptera species than
   between the Bowhead Whale and the other right whales. It therefore
   seems likely that all four species will be placed in one genus in a
   future review.

   In dealing with the three populations of Eubalaena right whales,
   authorities have historically disagreed over whether to categorize the
   three populations in one, two or three species. In the days of whaling,
   there was thought to be a single worldwide species. Later,
   morphological factors such as small differences in the skull shape of
   northern and southern animals indicated that there were at least two
   species—one found only in the northern hemisphere, the other found in
   the Southern Ocean. Furthermore, no group of right whales has been
   known to swim through warm equatorial waters to make contact with the
   other (sub)species and (inter)breed: their thick layers of insulating
   blubber make it impossible for them to dissipate their internal body
   heat in tropical waters.

   In recent years, genetic studies have provided clear evidence that the
   northern and southern populations have not interbred for between
   3 million and 12 million years, confirming the status of the Southern
   Right Whale as a distinct species. More surprising, then, has been the
   finding that the northern hemisphere Pacific and Atlantic populations
   are also distinct, and that the Pacific species (now known as the
   Pacific Northern Right Whale) is in fact more closely allied with the
   Southern Right Whale than with the Atlantic Northern Right Whale. While
   Rice continued to list two species in his 1998 classification, this was
   disputed by Rosenbaum et al. in 2000. and Brownell et al (2001). In
   2005, Mammal Species of the World listed three species, indicating a
   seemingly more permanent shift to this preference.

Three Eubalaena species theory

   " Whale lice", parasitic cyamid crustaceans that live off skin debris,
   offer further information on Eubalaena right whale populations through
   their own genetic patterns. Because the lice reproduce much more
   quickly than whales, their genetic diversity is greater. Marine
   biologists at the University of Utah examined these lice genes and
   determined that their hosts split into three species 5–6 million years
   ago, and that these species were all equally abundant before whaling
   began in the 11th century. The communities were first split off because
   of the joining of North and South America. The heat of the equator then
   separated them further into northern and southern groups. "This puts an
   end to the long debate about whether there are three [Eubalaena]
   species of right whale. They really are separate beyond a doubt," Jon
   Seger, the project's leader, told BBC News.

The Balaena fossil record

   A total of five Balaena fossils have been found in Europe and North
   America in deposits ranging from the late Miocene (about 10  mya) to
   early Pleistocene (about 1.5 mya). These five records have each been
   accorded their own species status—B. affinis, B. etrusca, B.
   montalionis, B. primigenius and B. prisca. The last of these may yet
   prove to be the same as the modern Bowhead Whale. Prior to these there
   is a long gap back to the next related cetacean in the fossil
   record—Morenocetus was found in a South American deposit dating back
   23 million years.

Synonyms and common names

   Due to their familiarity to whalers over a number of centuries the
   right whales have been given many names. These names were applied to
   right whales throughout the world, reflecting the fact that only one
   species was recognised at this time. In his novel Moby-Dick, Herman
   Melville writes: "Among the fishermen, the whale regularly hunted for
   oil is indiscriminately designated by all the following titles: The
   Whale; the Greenland Whale; the Black Whale; the Great Whale; the True
   Whale; the Right Whale."

   Halibalaena (Gray, 1873) and Hunterius (Gray, 1866) are junior synonyms
   for the genus Eubalaena. E. australis is the type species.

   The species-level synonyms are:
     * For E. australis: antarctica (Lesson, 1828), antipodarum (Gray,
       1843), temminckii (Gray, 1864)
     * For E. glacialis: biscayensis (Eschricht, 1860), nordcaper
       (Lacepede, 1804)
     * For E. japonica: sieboldii (Gray, 1864)

Physical description

   An Atlantic Northern Right Whale, clearly showing the distinctive
   callosities and curved mouth
   Enlarge
   An Atlantic Northern Right Whale, clearly showing the distinctive
   callosities and curved mouth
   A Southern Right Whale in the breeding grounds at Peninsula Valdés in
   Patagonia
   Enlarge
   A Southern Right Whale in the breeding grounds at Peninsula Valdés in
   Patagonia
   Drawing of a Pacific Northern Right Whale
   Enlarge
   Drawing of a Pacific Northern Right Whale
   An Atlantic Northern Right Whale on a Faroese stamp
   Enlarge
   An Atlantic Northern Right Whale on a Faroese stamp

   Right whales are easily distinguished from other whales by the large
   number of callosities on their heads, a thick back without a dorsal
   fin, and a long drooping mouth that begins high above the eye and then
   arches round beneath it. The body of the whale is very dark grey or
   black with some white patches on the belly. The white patches on the
   whale's skin around the callosites are not due to skin pigmentation,
   but are actually large colonies of whale lice buried in the whale's
   skin.

   Adults may be between 11–18  m (36–59  ft) in length and typically
   weigh 60–80 tonnes. The most typical lengths are 13–16 m (42–52 ft).
   The body is extremely robust with girth as much as 60% of total body
   length in some cases. The tail fluke is also broad (up to 40% of body
   length). The North Pacific species is on average the largest of the
   three Eubalaena right whales. The largest specimens of these may weigh
   100 tonnes.

   Right whales have between 200 and 300 baleen plates on each side of the
   mouth. These are narrow and approximately 2 m long, and are covered in
   very thin hairs. The plates enable the whale to feed (see Diet below).
   The testicles of the right whale are likely to be the largest of any
   animal, each weighing around 500  kg (1,100  lbs). At 1% of the whale's
   total body weight, this size is very large even taking into account the
   size of the whale. This suggests that sperm competition is important in
   the mating process. Right whales have a distinctive wide V-shaped blow,
   caused by the widely-spaced blowholes on the top of the head. The blow
   rises to 5 m (16 ft) above the ocean's surface.

   Females reach sexual maturity at 6–12 years and breed every 3–5 years.
   Both reproduction and calving take place during the winter months.
   Calves are approximately 1 tonne (1.1  short tons) in weight and 4–6 m
   in length at birth following a gestation period of 1 year. The right
   whale grows rapidly in its first year, typically doubling in length.
   Weaning occurs after eight months to one year and the growth rate in
   later years is not well understood—it may be highly dependent on
   whether a calf stays with its mother for a second year.

   Very little is known about the life span of right whales. One of the
   few pieces of evidence is the case of a mother Atlantic Northern Right
   Whale that was photographed with a baby in 1935, then photographed
   again in 1959, 1980, 1985 and 1992; callosity patterns were used to
   ensure that it was the same animal. Finally, she was photographed in
   1995 with a seemingly fatal head wound that is presumed to have been
   caused by a ship strike. The animal was around 70 years of age at
   death. Research on Bowhead Whales suggest reaching this age is not
   uncommon and may even be exceeded.
   The distinctive V-shaped blow of a right whale.
   Enlarge
   The distinctive V-shaped blow of a right whale.

   Right whales are slow swimmers, reaching only 5  knots (9 km/h) at top
   speed, but are highly acrobatic and frequently breach (jump clear of
   the sea surface), tail-slap and lobtail. Like other baleen whales, the
   species is not gregarious and the typical group size is only two.
   Larger groups of up to twelve have been reported, but these were not
   close-knit and may have been transitory.

   The right whale's only predators are the killer whale and, to some
   degree, humans. When danger lurks, a group of right whales may come
   together in a circle, with their tails pointing outwards, to deter a
   predator. This defence is not always successful and calves are
   occasionally separated from their mother and killed.

Diet

   The right whale's diet consists primarily of zooplankton and tiny
   crustaceans such as copepods, as well as krill, and pteropods, although
   they are occasionally opportunistic feeders. They feed by "skimming"
   along with their mouth open. Water and prey enters the mouth but only
   the water can pass through the baleen and out again into the open sea.
   Thus, for a right whale to feed, the prey must occur in sufficient
   numbers to trigger the whale's interest; be large enough that the
   baleen plates can filter it; and be small enough that it does not have
   the speed to escape. The "skimming" may take place on the surface,
   underwater, or even close to the ocean's bottom, indicated by mud
   occasionally observed on right whales' bodies.

Sound production and hearing

   Vocalizations made by right whales are not elaborate compared to those
   made by other whale species. The whales make groans, pops and belches
   that are typically around 500  Hz. The purpose of the sounds is not
   known but is likely to be a form of communication between whales within
   the same group.

   A report published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B in
   December 2003 found that Northern Right Whales responded rapidly on
   hearing sounds similar to police sirens—sounds of much higher frequency
   than those made by whales. On hearing the sounds they moved rapidly to
   the surface. The research was of particular interest because it is
   known that Northern Rights ignore most sounds, including those of
   approaching boats. Researchers speculate that this information may be
   useful in attempts to reduce the number of ship-whale collisions or to
   encourage the whales to surface for ease of harvesting.

Whaling

   Whaling in small wooden boats with hand harpoons was a hazardous
   enterprise, even when hunting the "right" whale.
   Enlarge
   Whaling in small wooden boats with hand harpoons was a hazardous
   enterprise, even when hunting the "right" whale.

   Right whales were so named because whalers thought they were the
   "right" whale to hunt. 40% of a right whale's body weight is blubber,
   which is of relatively low density. Consequently, unlike many other
   species of whale, deceased right whales float. Combined with the right
   whale's slowness through water they were easy to catch even for whalers
   equipped only with wooden boats and hand-held harpoons.

   The Basques were the first to commercially hunt right whales. They
   began doing so as early as the 11th century in the Bay of Biscay. The
   whales were hunted initially for their oil but, as meat preservation
   technology improved, the animal was also used for food. As populations
   close to modern-day Spain became depleted, the whalers headed steadily
   further afield. They reached eastern Canada by 1530  and the shores of
   Todos os Santos Bay (in Bahia, Brazil) by 1602. Basque whaling was at
   its peak for the next one hundred years with 300–500 animals taken each
   year. The take then tailed off and the fishery finally ceased operation
   in 1713.

   Basques were replaced by the whalers from the new American colonies:
   the "Yankee whalers". Setting out from Nantucket, Massachusetts and
   Long Island, New York, the Americans were able to take up to 100 right
   whales in good years. By 1750 the Atlantic Northern Right Whale was as
   good as extinct for commercial purposes and the Yankee whalers moved
   into the South Atlantic before the end of the 18th century. The
   southernmost Brazilian whaling station was established in 1796, in
   Imbituba. Over the next one hundred years, Yankee whaling spread into
   the Southern and Pacific Oceans, where the Americans were joined by
   fleets from several European nations and Japan. The beginning of the
   20th century saw much greater industrialization of whaling, and the
   takes grew rapidly. By 1937, there had been, according to whalers'
   records, 38,000 takes in the South Atlantic, 39,000 in the South
   Pacific, 1,300 in the Indian Ocean, and 15,000 in the north Pacific.
   Given the incompleteness of these records, the actual take was somewhat
   higher.

   As it became clear that stocks were nearly depleted, a worldwide total
   ban on right whaling was agreed upon in 1937. The ban was largely
   successful, although some whaling continued in violation of the ban for
   several decades. Madeira took its last two right whales in 1968. Japan
   took 23 Pacific right whales in the 1940s and more under scientific
   permit in the 1960s. Illegal whaling continued off the coast of Brazil
   for many years and the Imbituba land station processed right whales
   until 1973. The Soviet Union is now known to have illegally taken at
   least 3,212 Southern Right Whales during the 1950s and '60s, although
   it only reported taking 4.

Population and distribution today

   Estimating whale abundance
   Because the oceans are so large, it is very difficult to accurately
   gauge the size of a whale population. The estimate of 7,000 Southern
   Right Whales came about following an IWC workshop held in Cape Town in
   March 1998.

   Researchers used data about adult female populations from three surveys
   (one in each of Argentina, South Africa and Australia collected during
   the 1990s) and extrapolated to include unsurveyed areas, number of
   males and calves using available male:female and adult:calf ratios to
   give an estimated 1999 figure of 7,000 animals. Further information may
   be obtained from the May 1998 edition of "Right Whale News" available
   online.

   Today, the three Eubalaena species inhabit three distinct areas of the
   globe: the Atlantic Northern in the western Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific
   Northern in a band from Japan to Alaska and the Southern in all areas
   of the Southern Ocean. The whales can only cope with the moderate
   temperatures found between 20 and 60 degrees in latitude. Thus the warm
   waters of the equatorial region form a barrier and prevent the northern
   and southern groups' inter-mixing. Although the Southern species in
   particular must travel across open ocean to reach its feeding grounds,
   the species is not considered to be pelagic. In general, they prefer to
   stay close to peninsulas and bays and on continental shelves, as these
   areas offer greater shelter and an abundance of their preferred foods.
   A female Atlantic Northern Right Whale with her calf.
   Enlarge
   A female Atlantic Northern Right Whale with her calf.

   There are about 300 Atlantic Northern Right Whales, almost all living
   in the western North Atlantic. In spring, summer and autumn, they feed
   in areas off the Canadian and north-east US coasts in a range
   stretching from North Carolina to Nova Scotia. Particularly popular
   areas appear to be the Bay of Fundy and Grand Manan Island. In winter,
   they head south towards Georgia and Florida to mate and, a year later,
   give birth.

   There have been a smattering of sightings further east over the past
   few decades—several sightings were made close to Iceland in 2003. It is
   possible that these are the remains of a virtually extinct eastern
   Atlantic stock, but examination of old whalers records suggest that
   they are more likely to be strays from further west. However, a few
   sightings are regular between Norway, Ireland, Spain, Portugal,
   Canarias and even Sicilia and at least the Norway individuals come from
   the Western stock .

   Only about 200 North Pacific right whales survive. Thus, the two
   northern right whale species are the most endangered of all large
   whales and two of the most endangered animals in the world. Based on
   current population density trends, both species are predicted to become
   extinct within 200 years. The Pacific species was historically found
   from the southern tip of Japan, across the Bering Strait and down the
   North American coast as far as California. Today, sightings are very
   rare and generally occur in the mouth of the Sea of Okhotsk and in the
   eastern Bering Sea. Although this species is very likely to be
   migratory like the other two species, its movement patterns over the
   year are not known.

   Southern Right Whales spend the summer months in the far Southern Ocean
   feeding, probably close to Antarctica. They migrate north in winter for
   breeding and can be seen around the coasts of Chile, Argentina, Brazil,
   South Africa, Mozambique, Australia and New Zealand. The total
   population is estimated to be between seven and eight thousand. Since
   hunting of the Southern Right Whale ceased, stocks are estimated to
   have grown by 7% a year. It appears that the South American, South
   African and Australasian groups intermix very little, if at all,
   because the fidelity of a mother to its feeding and calving habitats is
   very strong. The mother also passes these instincts to her calves.

   In Brazil, more than 300 individuals have been cataloged through photo
   identification (using their distinctive head callosities) by the
   Brazilian Right Whale Project, maintained jointly by Petrobras (the
   Brazilian state-owned oil company) and the International Wildlife
   Coalition. The State of Santa Catarina hosts a concentration of
   breeding and calving right whales from June to November, and females
   from this population are also known to calve off Argentinian Patagonia.

Conservation

   The remains of an Atlantic Northern Right Whale after it has collided
   with a boat propeller.
   Enlarge
   The remains of an Atlantic Northern Right Whale after it has collided
   with a boat propeller.

   The leading cause of death among Atlantic Northern Right Whales, which
   migrate through some of the world's busiest shipping lanes whilst
   journeying off the east coast of the United States, is injury sustained
   from colliding with ships. At least 16 reported deaths due to ship
   strikes were reported between 1970 and 1999, and probably many more
   remain unreported. Recognising that this toll could tip the balance of
   the already delicately poised species towards extinction, the United
   States government introduced measures to curb the decline. The National
   Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Atlantic Large Whale Take
   Reduction Plan  was introduced in 1997. A key part of the plan was the
   introduction of mandatory reporting of large whale sightings by ships
   using U.S. ports. This requirement was implemented in July 1999.

   Whilst environmental campaigners were, as reported in 2001, pleased
   that the reporting plan has a positive effect, they wanted the
   government to do more. In particular they demanded that ships within
   40 km (25 miles) of U.S. ports in times of known high right whale
   conservation be forced to maintain a speed of no more than 12 knots
   (22 km/h). The United States government, citing concerns about
   excessive disruption to trade, did not enforce such measures. The
   conservation groups Defenders of Wildlife, the Humane Society of the
   United States and the Ocean Conservancy thus sued the National Marine
   Fisheries Service (a sub-agency of the NOAA) in September 2005 for
   "failing to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic Right
   Whale, which the agency acknowledges is 'the rarest of all large whale
   species' and which federal agencies are required to protect by both the
   Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act," and
   demanded that emergency measures be put in place to protect the whales.
   Both the North Atlantic and North Pacific species are listed as
   "endangered" by CITES and the IUCN, and under the U.S. Endangered
   Species Act.

   A second major cause of morbidity and mortality in North Atlantic right
   whales is entanglement in fishing gear. Right whales filter feed
   plankton with their mouths wide open, exposing themselves to the risk
   of entanglement in any rope or net fixed in the water column. They
   commonly wrap rope around their upper jaws, flippers and tails. Most
   manage to escape with minor scarring, but some get seriously and
   persistently entangled. Such cases if sighted are sometimes sucessfully
   disentangled, but others are not and they die a most gruesome death
   over a period of months. There has been a major focus on the
   conservation status of the right whale in terms of an endangered
   species. However equally significant is the extreme animal welfare
   concern such chronic fatal entanglements represent.

   The Southern Right Whale, listed as "endangered" by CITES and "lower
   risk - conservation dependent" by the IUCN, is protected in the
   jurisdictional waters of all countries with known breeding populations
   (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and
   Uruguay). In Brazil, a federal Environmental Protection Area
   encompassing some 1,560 km² (602 miles²)and 130 km (80 miles)of
   coastline in Santa Catarina State was established in 2000 to protect
   the species' main breeding grounds in Brazil and promote regulated
   whale watching.

   On June 26, 2006, NOAA proposed the Strategy to Reduce Ship Strikes to
   North Atlantic Right Whales. The proposal, which is opposed by the
   shipping industry, envisages imposing a speed cap of 10 knots
   (11.5 miles per hour; 18.5 km per hour) on specific routes during
   calving season for vessels 20 m (65 ft) or longer. The proposal is open
   for comments until August 25, 2006. According to the NOAA, 25 of the 71
   right whale deaths reported since 1970 resulted from ship strikes.

Whale watching

   A Southern Right Whale approaches close to whale watchers near
   Península Valdés in Patagonia.
   Enlarge
   A Southern Right Whale approaches close to whale watchers near
   Península Valdés in Patagonia.

   Southern Right Whales have made Hermanus, South Africa one of the world
   centers for whale watching. During the winter months (July–October),
   Southern Right Whales come so close to the shoreline that visitors can
   watch whales from strategically-placed hotels. The town employs a
   "whale crier" (cf. town crier) to walk through the town announcing
   where whales have been seen. Southern Right Whales can also be watched
   at other winter breeding grounds.

   In Brazil, Imbituba in Santa Catarina has been recognized as the
   National Right Whale Capital and holds annual Right Whale Week
   celebrations in September, when mothers and calves are more often seen.
   The old whaling station there has been converted to a museum
   documenting the history of right whales in Brazil. In Argentina,
   Península Valdés in Patagonia hosts (in winter) the largest breeding
   population of the species, with more than 2,000 animals catalogued by
   the Whale Conservation Institute and Ocean Alliance.
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