North Atlantic Right Whaleš

Eubaleena glacialis

Breeching Northern Right Whale photographed by Leonard Medlock on the NH Audubon Tri-State Pelagic Sept 2010. Super photo Len. Thanks for sharing.

Right Whale to Kill
The whalers considered the northern right whales both Atlantic and Pacific species to be "the right whale to kill". The Right Whale moves slowly, is rich in oil and baleen, and tends to float after being killed. And kill it they did. Before the advent of modern technology, whalers were restricted to the smaller Baleen Whales which included the Right Whale. Today all populations of Right Whales remain endangered. The Atlantic population is down to 350 individuals and not growing. The North Atlantic Right Whale is on the road to extinction.

Leonard Medlock photograph of Right Whale on the coast of NH. Notice no dorsal fin.

Three Species of Right Whales
There are three species of Right Whales which are not known to meet in their ocean travels.

Eubalaena glacialis - North Atlantic Right Whale 350 individuals

Eubalaena australia - Southern Hemisphere growing at 7-8% per year

Eubalaena japonica - North Pacific

Why are they not recovering?

The reasons the population the North Atlantic Right Whale population is not recovering from the whaling years while other species have shown improvement include:

Low birth rate. Females only reproduce every 3-5 years and like all whales have only 1 calf at a time. Some years only 1 baby is produced by the entire population. Last year 30 were born.

Ship strikes like the one that killed the whale to the left. This carcass was found outside the Newburyport Harbor.

Declining food resources.

The New England Aquarium has a project to study the Atlantic Right Whale. Read their web page http://www.rightwhaleweb.org

Identification
The Right Whale is a large baleen whale that does not have a dorsal fin or throat groves. The flippers are square- shaped and not nearly as long as the Humpback Whale. The flippers will only rarely be seen at sea which makes the photograph of the breeching Right Whale above so unusual. The head makes up about 1/3 of the body of the whale.

Shows tail flukes when diving.

Amazing Photo of Right Whale

This amazing photo of a Right Whale by Lauren Kraus shows the lack of a dorsal fin. What appears to be the fin is actually one of the tail flukes.

Note the double blow and the large head compared to the body. If you look closely you can see the square-shaped flipper.

"V" shape blow

The Right Whale has a distinct "V" shaped blow which may be recognized immediately in New England waters because while all Baleen whales have two blow holes, the blow of other species usually appears as one column or puffy cloud.

Look for the "V" shaped blow as shown in the photograph by Leonard Medlock on Jeffreys Ledge, NH.

For a comparison of whale blows see the page on whale behaviors.

Photograph of Right Whale head by Lauren Kraus. Notice the high arch to the jaw, the two blow holes, and the callosities on the head. Really nice photo Lauren. Thanks for sharing.

Callosities and arched mouth

Callosities are patches of rough skin usually on the top of the head and under the jaw. They becomes covered with lice making them appear white.

The pattern of callosities can be used to identify individual whales and there is a data base North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium Resource Database . Your pictures can help track the Right Whales.

The Right Whale has a highly arched jawline . In the photograph to the left the top of the arch is seen below the white callosity.

The arched mouth, lack of dorsal fin, raised flukes on diving and the "V" shaped blow are also characteristics of the Bowhead Whale to which the Right Whale is related. The Bowhead is found further north and not in New England waters.

Gray Whales have callosities, a "U" shaped blow, and fluke on deep dives but there are no longer any Gray Whales in the Atlantic.

Two photographs by Leonard Medlock taken off the coast of New Hampshire.

Note the trailling edge of the tail flukes are not ragged like those of the Humpback Whale.

Square- shaped Flipper

The Right Whale has a square or paddle shaped flippers as shown in this photo by Lauren Kraus taken off the coast of New Hampshire.

This can also be seen in the photo of the breeching Right Whale at the top of the page.

Where Do They Live?
The North Atlantic Right Whale breeds off the Atlantic coasts of northern Florida and Georgia in the Northern Hemisphere winter. In spring a few whales congregate in Cape Cod Bay where they can sometimes be seen from Race Point.

In mid-summer and into the fall, large numbers migrate north where some can be seen in the Bay of Fundy. The rest of the population may be feeding around Greenland and Iceland.

What Do They Eat? Feeding Method
It is always amazing that large animals like the baleen whales eat the smallest of animals zooplankton which they must find in large concentrated quantities. They feed by swimming across the water with their mouth partly open. They filter water through the baleen plates capturing the small animals mostly copepods and sometimes krill.

Leonard Medlock Right Whale on Jeffrey's Ledge. Note the pattern of callosities on the forehead and the arch of the jaw on either side.

Breeding

Females have a single calf every three to five years. Calves are born off the coasts of Florida and Georgia during the winter months. Sexual behavior may occur all year long, but serious copulation occurs during the winter.

In 2010 a group of birders observed and photographed mating Right Whales off the coast of NH in mid September. Usually a group of males surround a single female.

The calves are born after 12 month gestation period and stay with their mother for a year.

š Guide to Marine Mammals of the World