Right Whales

Right whales were named because they were the “right” whales to hunt. They were simple to get being as how they swam inefficiently and drifted when they were murdered. Protected since 1935, their numbers are still low.

There are four species of right whales—the northern right whale, the southern right whale, the bowhead whale, and the pygmy right whale. The pygmy right whale is much humbler and slimmer than the alternate right whale species. It is in addition the just right whale to have a little, triangular blade on its back.

All right whales share several features in common, including a large head, a top jaw shaped like an arch, and long, slender baleen plates in the mouth, which are used for filtering food from sea water. The more extensive species of right whales make a point not to have throat scores, but the pygmy right whale has a few such notches. These pleatlike grooves enable the throat of the pygmy right whale to expand and take in lots of water as it feeds.

Mother and Baby

Female right whales give birth to one calf during the winter months. The calf grows inside its mother for around one year before it is born, and feeds on its mother’s milk for at least another year. Mother and baby stay close together for the first six months of the calf’s life. When the calf stops drinking its mother’s milk, it usually leaves to start a life of its own.