Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis)

May 24, 2015 Features / Columnists, Interesting Creatures in Guyana

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The southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena.

Like other right whales, the southern right whale is readily distinguished from others by the callosities on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin, and a long arching mouth that begins above the eye. Its skin is very dark grey or black, occasionally with some white patches on the belly.
The right whale’s callosities appear white due to large colonies of cyamids (whale lice). It is almost indistinguishable from the closely related North Atlantic and the North Pacific right whales, displaying only minor skull differences. It may have fewer callosities on its head and more on its lower lips than the two northern species.
Approximately 10,000 southern right whales are spread throughout the southern part of the Southern Hemisphere.
The size of an adult female is 15 m (49 ft) and can weigh up to 47 tonnes (46 long tons; 52 short tons), with the larger records of 17.5–18 m (57–59 ft) in length and 80 tonnes (79 long tons; 88 short tons) in weight, making them slightly smaller than other right whales in Northern Hemisphere.
The testicles of right whales are likely to be the largest of any animal, each weighing around 500 kg (1,100 lb). This suggests that sperm competition is important in the mating process. Right whales cannot cross the warm equatorial waters to connect 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. However, based on historical records and unconfirmed sightings in modern periods, E. australis actually do occur in equatorial waters.
The proportion and numbers of molten-coloured individuals are notable in this species compared with the other species in the Northern Hemisphere. Some whales remain white even after growing up.
The right whales were first classified in the Balaena genus in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus, who at the time considered all of the right whales (including the bowhead) as a single species.
It is believed that the right whale populations first split because of the joining of North and South America. The rising temperatures at the equator then created a second split, into the northern and southern groups, preventing them from interbreeding.
In 2002, the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) accepted findings that recommended that the Eubalaena nomenclature be retained for this genus.
Like other right whales, they are rather active on the water surface, and being curious and playful towards human vessels.
According to the quantity of observations, southern rights seem more active and tend to interact with human more than other two species in the Northern Hemisphere. One behaviour unique to the southern right whale, known as sailing, is that of using their elevated flukes to catch the wind, remaining in the same position for considerable amount of time. It appears to be a form of play and is most commonly seen off the coast of Argentina and South Africa.
Some other species such as humpback whales are also known to display. Right whales are often seen interacting with other cetaceans, especially humpback whales and dolphins. There is a record of a southern right and a humpback thought to be involved in mating activities off Mozambique.
They have very strong maternal connections with locations and gene pools they were born in, and they are known to return to their ‘birth spots’ on 3-years intervals.
All species of right whales are curious, playful, and very gentle to other species including humans, sometimes actively trying to give swimmers or kayaks rides on their backs. Legends of the Whale Rider are renowned in New Zealand. In water, they are known to avoid themselves not to harm swimmers.
The southern right whale, listed as “endangered” by CITES, is protected by 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 (600 sq mi) and 130 km (81 mi) of coastline in Santa Catarina State was established in 2000 to protect the species’ main breeding grounds in Brazil and promote regulated whale watching.
The southern right whale is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), as this species has been categorized as being in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant proportion of their range.
The southern right whale is covered by the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific Cetaceans MoU).
(Source: Wikipedia – The Free Online Encyclopedia)

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