North Atlantic Right Whale

Eubalaena glacialis

Dark, almost black whale that can reach up to 18 metres in length. They have an upwardly-arched mouth that curves down near the eye and rough white patches of skin, called callosities, on their head. Each whale's callosity pattern is unique, allowing scientists to recognize individuals. They have no dorsal fin but there is a sharp indentation near the blow hole. Their distinctive v-shaped blow can be up to five metres tall.

Authority

Muller, 1776

Classification Details

Phylum: Chordata (chordates); Subphylum: Vertebrata (vertebrates); Class: Mammalia (mammals); Infraorder: Cetacea (whales and dolphins); Superfamily: Mysticeti (baleen whales).

Habitat

Migratory species. Present in Atlantic Canada in the spring, summer, and fall, they come here to feed. In winter, female whales migrate to coastal waters off Florida and Georgia to calve. The Grand Manan Basin in the Bay of Fundy and the Roseway Basin off Nova Scotia are critical habitat for feeding and as nursery areas. The Gulf of St. Lawrence is also an important habitat but scientists know less about populations here.

Diet

Filter feeders. They swim through patches of prey, taking large volumes of water in their mouth. They then filter the water out through their baleen plates, trapping prey on the plate's hair-like fringes. They have more than 200 baleen plates on each side of their jaws, which are between two and 2.8 metres long. They brush the prey from the baleen plates using their tongue and swallow it. Their food is mostly made up of tiny crustaceans called copepods, mainly Calanus finmarchius.

Reproduction

Sexes are separate. Calves reach maturity at around 10 years of age. Mating takes place during winter in large groups of up to 50 whales, of which only one or two are female. Females give birth to one calf every two to six years after a gestation period of 12 to 13 months. They migrate into warmer waters off Florida and South Georgia to calve. Calves nurse for a year and remain close to their mothers for up to 18 months. Sighting data has shown that right whales live at least 70 years.

Fun Facts

One of the most endangered mammals in the world. In 2020 the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium reported that just 356 right whales were left. Because of their high blubber content, docile nature, and surface feeding behaviour, they were once a preferred target for whalers. They have been protected since 1935 and people no longer hunt them. However, they are susceptible to vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. Their slow reproductive rate means they may be vulnerable to extinction.

Right whales have the largest testicles of any animal, weighing up to 500 kilograms.

References

Canadian Whale Institute (2020) Right Whale Facts https://www.canadianwhaleinstitute.ca/right-whale-facts Accessed online 20 January 2020.

DFO. North Atlantic Right Whale. https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/species/780-298 Accessed online 20 January 2021.

Eder T (2012) Whales and Other Marine Mammals of Atlantic Canada. Vancouver: Lone Pine Publishing.

Knowlton AR, Kraus SD and Kenney RD (1994) Reproduction in North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). Canadian Journal of Zoology 72, 1297–1305.

Perrin WF (2020). World Cetacea Database. Eubalaena glacialis (Müller, 1776). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159023 Accessed online 20 January 2020.