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Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis)

The Southern Right Whale is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Around 12,000 Southern Right Whales are spread throughout the southern part of the Southern Hemisphere.
Like other right whales, the Southern Right Whale is readily distinguished from other whales by the callosities on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin, and a long arching mouth that begins above the eye. The body of the whale is very dark grey or black, occasionally with some white patches on the belly. The right whale's callosities appear white, not due to skin pigmentation, but to large colonies of cyamids or whale lice.
The Southern Right Whale spends the summer months in the far Southern Ocean feeding, probably close to Antarctica. It migrates north in winter for breeding and can be seen around the coasts of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Namibia, Mozambique, Peru, Uruguay, Madagascar, New Zealand and South Africa.
In Australia's winter and spring, Southern Right Whales can be seen from the Bunda Cliffs and Twin Rocks, both along the remote Great Australian Bight in South Australia. In Warrnambool, Vic, there exists a nursery near Logan Beach which is a popular tourist attraction.

Geographic Range and Habitat
Found only in the southern hemisphere, southern right whales have a circumpolar distribution between 30 and 50 degrees south, inhabiting sub-Antarctic waters. While avoiding warm equatorial regions, southern right whales remain near continents and island masses.

Description
Southern right whales are characterized by their uniformly dark colour and white callosities found on and around the head. Callosities, which are outgrowths of tough skin, are often used in identifying individual whales, as they are unique to each animal, similar to fingerprints in humans. The largest of these excrescences (callosities) is located on the anterior-most portion of the head and is referred to as the "bonnet." Other excrescences are on the upper edge of the lower jaw, behind the blowhole, and above the eye.
Eubalaena australis is on average between 16 and 18 meters long at maturity, males being slightly shorter than females. It has a rotund appearance, a very large girth relative to the length, with an enormous head (approximately 1/3 the body length). Southern right whales do not have any dorsal fins, nor do they have the grooved throat that is typical of the balaenopterids. The flippers are also broad and relatively short.
Another distinguishing physical feature of southern right whales is the blowhole. The exterior of the blow hole is well-partitioned, resulting in a V-shaped exhaust of condensation and water vapour. Furthermore, uncharacteristic of balaenopterids, southern right whales have a well-developed dermis without fat, whereas most balaenopterids lack a dermis.

Behaviour
Southern right whales migrate to the southern latitudes of their range during the summer months where plankton populations are more abundant, and migrate north during winter and spring.
They do so at a rate of 2.7 to 4.2 km/hr over a 24-hour period for cow and calf pairs. In addition, Eubalaena australis have been observed at near-shore swimming speeds of up to 15+ km/hr (for only short distances), but are generally slow swimmers.
In a common behaviour among these whales, called "headstanding", they assume a vertical position and extend the flukes into the air, often rocking back and forth, for as long as two minutes at a time. Research initially indicated that this position was used for feeding on benthic organisms, however is more recently believed to be either a resting position or a courtship stimulus. Southern right whales are also commonly seen breeching - turning in midair and falling into the water with the side or back of the body. This behaviour may dislodge parasites from the whale's surface, but is also a display mechanism during mating.
Although very rarely found stranded along beaches, southern right whales occasionally do cause harm to themselves and, indirectly, humans. They have collided with large vessels and entangled in fishing gear. This causes a loss or reduction of possible shipping routes (in order to avoid collisions) and an increased cost to the fishing industry.

Food Habits
Using their long and numerous baleen plates, southern right whales feed on small plankton, including pelagic larval crustaceans and copepods. They are most often observed using one of two feeding techniques. The first, surface feeding, occurs when the whales selectively swim through densely-populated plankton slicks with their mouths wide open and baleen exposed. The other method occurs while submerged, presumably in highly dense populations of plankton.

Conservation Status
Southern right whale populations are showing a slow increase since international protection in 1935, when over-exploitation nearly eradicated the species. There are estimated to be approximately 3,000 to 4,000 currently surviving in the southern hemisphere. Aside from international protection, individual countries are also protecting these whales and improving their ability to survive and reproduce.
For the past ten or fifteen years, humans have capitalized on southern right whales, as well as other whales and aquatic mammals. Currently, the increasing popularity of whale watching and coastal tourism has led to the whales having a positive economic impact on humans. The development of whale watching has promoted economic benefits to coastal communities while increasing the protection and awareness of the species - stressing the importance of environmental quality and conservation. This benefit to the whales and their habitat contrasts sharply with previous economic exploitation of southern right whales. They were extensively hunted for oil and meat before becoming protected.

In Captivity

There are no whales of any kind kept in captivity in Australian waters.
In The Wild

Australia is one of the best whale watching locations in the world. With whale watching operators springing up all along the coastline, viewing the magnificent creatures in their natural habitat is easy.


Whale Watching at Hervey Bay, Qld

From late July to early November, Whales can be seen as they migrate from cool southern waters around Antarctica to more temperate, sub-tropical waters to give birth. The International Fund for Animal Welfare found 1.5 million people went whale watching in Australia last year.
The three most common whales seen in Australian waters are the Humpback, Southern Right and Orca (Killer) Whales. Humpback and Southern Right whales follow a similar route each year.


A whale breaching in Middle Harbour, Sydney, NSW

Whale watching tours are conducted from the following localities:

Whale watching platforms or lookout points can be found at the following locations:


Head of Bight viewing platform

Whales can often be seen from the following onshore locations:

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