Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Family: Balaenidae
Genus: Eubalaena
Species: E. australis
Binomial name: Eubalaena australis
Common name: Southern right whale
The southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is a baleen whale,
Early whalers called them the right whales because their high blubber content made them float when they are killed. They also had a docile nature, slow surface-skimming feeding behaviour and their tendency to stay close to the coast,
There are approximately 10,000 southern right whales are spread throughout the southern part of the Southern Hemisphere. The southern right whale is readily distinguished by the callosities on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin, a long arching mouth that begins above the eye and a V-shaped blowhole spray.
Its skin is very dark grey or black, occasionally with some white patches on the belly. The head and lower jaw are covered with callosities. Callosities are rough, calcified skin patches that are usually infested with parasitic worms, whale lice and barnacles. The number and arrangement of these are unique to each animal, making it possible to identify individuals and track their movements.
An adult female is 15 m in length and can weigh up to 47 tonnes with the larger records of 17.5–18 m in length and 80 tonnes or up to 90 tonnes in weight. The flippers are large and paddle-shaped,
This species lifespan is not clear although whales seem to reach over 100 years old.
A bronze casting of a Southern Right Whale in Tasmania, Australia.
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Two distinctive colouration patterns.
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Blue area is their range.
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Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
