dolphins whales community
NORTH PACIFIC RIGHT WHALE
Eubalaena japonica
Classification:
Right whales are very interesting because whalers think about them as the 'right' whales to hunt - they were easy to approach and catch; they float when they are dead, and had lots of oil in the cells of their blubber.
They are very close to extinction in the early 1900s and are the most endangered of the great whales. The current population estimates are unknown but it's likely that only few of the hundred animals remain.
Appearance:
The North Pacific right whale is special for its huge head and its head is almost one third of the animal's total length and strongly arched mouth-line.
The whale is carrying horny growths called the callosities mostly on the upper jaw and head and on the tip of the nose, called the 'bonnet'.
Whale lice live on these callosities and making them white, pink, yellow or orange.
The whale has two blowholes and when it exhales, it produces a V-shaped jet up to 5m high.
The right whale has a black or dark grey, heavy and round body, with white blotches on the belly.
They have no dorsal fin but it has long, broad flippers which have small ridges on them.
Male right whales are also very special for having the largest testes in the world and each pair weighs about a tonne!
Behaviour:
Little is known about the behaviour of North Pacific right whales as there have been very few at-sea sightings of the animals in the past decades.
Right whales swim slowly, yet are surprisingly acrobatic, they are known for breaching and slapping their flippers against the water when rolling over.
They are playful, curious animals, and often poke and bump objects they find in the water.
Their friendly nature means they may swim up to boats, and even let boats approach them.
They have been known to raise their tail flukes out of the water and use them as sails. As far as we know this is a form of play.
Other names:
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n/a
1.
Maximum length:
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Male: 17m
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Female: 18.5m
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Calf: 4m
2.
Maximum weight:
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Male: Unknown
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Female: 90,000 kg's
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Calf: Unknown
3.
Diet:
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Plankton (calanoid copepods and other small invertebrates)
4.
Estimated population:
500
5.
Distribution:
Historically, North Pacific right whales lived across the entire North Pacific however commercial and illegal whaling operations decimated the species.
Little is known of the current distribution but consistent sightings (between April and September) in the Bering Sea led to a portion of this area designated as Critical Habitat for the species in 2006.
Records at other times of the year are few and far between, the location of a breeding ground is unknown and it is possible that unlike other right whales, they prefer to breed in offshore areas. North Pacific right whales are currently threatened by habitat loss, human disturbance, entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with vessels.
Distribution map:
