Northern Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis)

The Northern Right Whale

The Northern Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) belongs to the baleen family of whales and is considered very endangered with a population estimated at less than 300. The name "right whale" supposedly comes from early whalers determining that it was the "right" whale to hunt, and, because of this, the Northern Right Whale faces extinction and is the most endangered large whale in the world.

Located mostly in the Northern Atlantic ocean off of the coast of Canada and the United States, the Northern Right Whale migrates according to the weather and season. They are often found in polar regions in the summer where they feed and then travel to warmer waters to breed in the winter. They keep to small groups and move slowly.

The Northern Right whales are most often black with white underbellies and markings. Their most distinguishing features are callosities, which are large, raised patches of skin on and around their heads. These are in different patterns and locations depending on the individual. They have no dorsal fin and have very large flippers that propel them through the water. They grow to a range of 44-59 feet in length (13.5-18 meters) and can reach a weight of 66,000-180,000 pounds (30,000 to 80,000 kg). The females are most often the larger of the species.

Like all whales in the baleen family, the Northern Right whales have no teeth but, instead, filter water through the baleen, or whalebone, plates in their mouths. They swim slowly, holding their mouths open, as water moves in and out, leaving plankton and other small invertebrate animals behind.

These whales reach breeding age between 5 and 10 years old. A female will breed every three to five years, and mating is usually competitive, sometimes involving several mating pairs at once and many males trying to mate with a select few females. The female will give birth to a calf after about 12 months of gestation and then nurse for 8-12 months. The life-span of the Northern Right Whale is unknown.

Northern Right Whales are extremely active in the water, often leaping out completely, slapping their tail fins, and hanging upside down underwater. They use verbal communication, emitting moaning and burping noises that are low in pitch and tone and often use tail-slapping and vocal blows when interacting socially, often as an act of aggression.

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Bibliography:
CETACEA: Eubalaena glacialis (Northern Right Whale). August 4, 2004. http://www.cetacea.org/nright.htm.
Right Whale - Reference Library. August 4, 2004. http://www.campusprogram.com/reference/en/wikipedia/r/ri/right_whale.html.
MarineBio.org Northern Right Whale - Eubalaena glacialis - MarineBio.org © 1998-2004. August 4, 2004. http://www.marinebio.com/species.asp?id=191.
W.F. Perrin. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press, 2002.