Southern Right Whale
Encyclopedia
The southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is a baleen whale
, one of three species classified as right whale
s belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Like other right whales, the southern right whale is readily distinguished from others by the callosities
on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin
, and a long arching mouth that begins above the eye. Its skin is very dark grey or black, occasionally with some white patches on the belly. The right whale's callosities appear white due to large colonies of cyamids (whale lice). It is almost indistinguishable from the closely related North Atlantic
and the North Pacific right whale
s, displaying only minor skull differences. It may have fewer callosities on its head and more on its lower lips than the two northern species. Approximately 12,000 southern right whales are spread throughout the southern part of the Southern Hemisphere
.
The maximum size of an adult female is 15 m (49.2 ft) and can weigh up to 47 tonnes (46.3 LT). The testicles of right whales are likely to be the largest of any animal, each weighing around 500 kg (1,102.3 lb). This suggests that sperm competition
is important in the mating process.
Right whales cannot cross the warm equatorial waters to connect with the other (sub)species and (inter)breed: their thick layers of insulating blubber
make it impossible for them to dissipate their internal body heat in tropical waters.
species than between the bowhead whale
, the only current member of Balaena
, and the right whales. All four species may be placed in one genus in a future review.
Synonyms for E. australis have included B. antarctica (Lesson, 1828), B. antipodarum (Gray, 1843), E. temminckii (Gray, 1864).
While Rice continued to list two species in his 1998 classification, Rosenbaum, et al. disputed this in 2000, as did Brownell et al. in 2001. In 2005, Mammal Species of the World listed three species, indicating a shift to this approach. The communities first split because of the joining of North and South America. The heat of the equator then separated them further into northern and southern groups.
"Whale lice
", parasitic
cyamid crustacean
s that live off skin debris, offer information through their own genetic patterns. Lice genetic diversity is greater than whales' because lice reproduce more quickly. Marine biologists at the University of Utah
examined lice genes and determined that their hosts split into three species 5–6 million years ago, and that these species were equally abundant before whaling began in the 11th century.
and South Africa
.
, Australia
, Brazil
, Chile
, Namibia
, Mozambique
, Peru
, Tristan de Cunha, Uruguay
, Madagascar
, New Zealand
and South Africa
. The total population is estimated to be around 12,000. Since hunting ceased, stocks are estimated to have grown by 7% a year. It appears that the South American, South African and Australasian groups intermix very little if at all, because maternal fidelity to feeding and calving habitats is very strong. The mother also passes these choices to her calves.
The most recent population estimates, published by National Geographic in October 2008, put the southern whale population at 10,000. The estimate of 7,000 followed a March, 1998 IWC
workshop. Researchers used data about adult female populations from three surveys (one in each of Argentina, South Africa and Australia, collected during the 1990s) and extrapolated to include unsurveyed areas, number of males and calves using available male:female and adult:calf ratios to give an estimated 1999 figure of 7,500 animals.
from Fiordland
region to northern Otago
are important breeding habitats for right whales, especially Preservation Inlet
, Te Waewae Bay
, and Otago coast. The population at sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands
is showing a remarkable recovery.
Recent study revealed that the right whale populations from New Zealand's main islands and the one from sub-Antarctic islands interbreed though it is still unknown whether the two stock originally came from a single population. Some whales can be seen at Campbell Islands, too.
(the Brazilian state-owned oil company) and the International Wildlife Coalition. The State of Santa Catarina
hosts a concentration of breeding and calving right whales from June to November, and females from this population also calve off Argentinian Patagonia
and Uruguay
.
was as good as extinct for commercial purposes and the Yankee whalers
moved into the South Atlantic before the end of the 18th century. The southernmost Brazil
ian whaling station was established in 1796, in Imbituba
. Over the next one hundred years, Yankee whaling spread into the Southern and Pacific Oceans, where the American fleet was joined by fleets from several European nations.
The Southern right whale had been coming to New Zealand waters in large numbers before the 19th century, but was extensively hunted from 1830-1850. Hunting gradually declined with the whale population and then all but ended in coastal New Zealand waters. The beginning of the 20th century brought industrial whaling, and the catch grew rapidly. By 1937, according to whalers' records, 38,000 were captured in the South Atlantic, 39,000 in the South Pacific, 1,300 in the Indian Ocean
, and 15,000 in the North Pacific. Given the incompleteness of these records, the total take was somewhat higher.
As it became clear that stocks were nearly depleted, right whaling was banned in 1937. The ban was largely successful, although some illegal whaling continued for several decades. Madeira
took its last two right whales in 1968. Illegal whaling continued off the coast of Brazil for many years and the Imbituba station processed right whales until 1973. The Soviet Union
admitted illegally taking over 3,300 during the 1950s and '60s, although it only reported taking 4.
Whales began to be seen again in Australian and New Zealand waters from the early 1960s.
The Southern right whale is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS
) as this species has been categorized as being in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant proportion of their range.
The Southern right whale is covered by the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific Cetaceans MoU).
have been observed feeding on live southern right whales since at least 1996 off the coast of Patagonia. The kelp gull uses its powerful beak to peck down centimetres into the skin and blubber, often leaving the whales with large open sores, some of which have been observed to be half a meter in diameter. This predatory behavior has been continually documented in Argentinian waters, and continues today. It is thought that open garbage pits that provide food for gulls contribute to an overpopulation of gulls.
The southern right whale has made Hermanus
, South Africa
one of the world centers for whale watching
. During the winter months (June to November), southern right whales come so close to the shoreline that visitors can watch them from strategically placed hotels. Hermanus also has two boat–based whale watching operators. The town employs a "whale crier" (cf.
town crier
) to walk through the town announcing where whales have been seen. Southern right whales can also be watched at other winter breeding grounds.
In Brazil, Imbituba in Santa Catarina
has been recognized as the National Right Whale Capital and holds annual Right Whale Week celebrations in September, when mothers and calves are more often seen. The old whaling station there is now a museum that documents the history of right whales in Brazil. In Argentina, Península Valdés in Patagonia
hosts (in winter) the largest breeding population, with more than 2,000 catalogued by the Whale Conservation Institute and Ocean Alliance
. As in the south of Argentina, the whales come within 200 m (656.2 ft) of the main beach in the city of Puerto Madryn and form a part of the large ecotourism
industry.
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, Victoria
, there exists a nursery which is popular with tourists in the winter and spring.
Baleen whale
The Baleen whales, also called whalebone whales or great whales, form the Mysticeti, one of two suborders of the Cetacea . Baleen whales are characterized by having baleen plates for filtering food from water, rather than having teeth. This distinguishes them from the other suborder of cetaceans,...
, one of three species classified as right whale
Right whale
Right whales are three species of large baleen whales consisting of two genera in the family Balaenidae of order Cetacea. Their bodies are very dark gray or black and rotund....
s belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Like other right whales, the southern right whale is readily distinguished from others by the callosities
Callosity
A callosity is another name for callus, a piece of skin that has become thickened as a result of repeated contact and friction.- Monkeys :When occurring on an animal's buttocks, as with baboons, they are specifically called ischial callosities...
on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
, and a long arching mouth that begins above the eye. Its skin is very dark grey or black, occasionally with some white patches on the belly. The right whale's callosities appear white due to large colonies of cyamids (whale lice). It is almost indistinguishable from the closely related North Atlantic
North Atlantic Right Whale
The North Atlantic right whale which means "good, or true, whale of the ice") is a baleen whale, one of three right whale species belonging to the genus Eubalaena, formerly classified as a single species. With only 400 in existence, North Atlantic right whales are among the most endangered whales...
and the North Pacific right whale
North Pacific Right Whale
The North Pacific right whale is a very large, robust baleen whale species that is now extremely rare and endangered. The Northeast Pacific subpopulation, that summers in the southeastern Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, may have no more than 50 animals...
s, displaying only minor skull differences. It may have fewer callosities on its head and more on its lower lips than the two northern species. Approximately 12,000 southern right whales are spread throughout the southern part of the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
.
The maximum size of an adult female is 15 m (49.2 ft) and can weigh up to 47 tonnes (46.3 LT). The testicles of right whales are likely to be the largest of any animal, each weighing around 500 kg (1,102.3 lb). This suggests that sperm competition
Sperm competition
Sperm competition is a term used to refer to the competitive process between spermatozoa of two different males to fertilize an egg of a lone female. Competition occurs whenever females engage in promiscuous mating to increase their chances in producing more viable offspring...
is important in the mating process.
Right whales cannot cross the warm equatorial waters to connect with the other (sub)species and (inter)breed: their thick layers of insulating blubber
Blubber
Blubber is a thick layer of vascularized adipose tissue found under the skin of all cetaceans, pinnipeds and sirenians.-Description:Lipid-rich, collagen fiber–laced blubber comprises the hypodermis and covers the whole body, except for parts of the appendages, strongly attached to the musculature...
make it impossible for them to dissipate their internal body heat in tropical waters.
Taxonomy
The southern right whale was initially described as Balaena australis by Desmoulins in 1822. It has been reclassified repeatedly, most recently as a species separate from the other right whales, and may be reclassified again into its original genus because scientists now find greater differences among the three BalaenopteraBalaenoptera
Balaenoptera is a genus of Balaenopteridae, the Rorqual whales, and contains eight species. The species Balaenoptera omurai was published in 2003...
species than between the bowhead whale
Bowhead Whale
The bowhead whale is a baleen whale of the right whale family Balaenidae in suborder Mysticeti. A stocky dark-colored whale without a dorsal fin, it can grow to in length. This thick-bodied species can weigh to , second only to the blue whale, although the bowhead's maximum length is less than...
, the only current member of Balaena
Balaena
Balaena is a genus of cetacean in the Balaenidae family. This family is also known as the Right Whales, which can cause confusion as there is also a species of whale called the Right Whale. The only extant species is the Bowhead whale. The fossil record of Balaena, dating to the late Miocene,...
, and the right whales. All four species may be placed in one genus in a future review.
Synonyms for E. australis have included B. antarctica (Lesson, 1828), B. antipodarum (Gray, 1843), E. temminckii (Gray, 1864).
Three species theory
In recent years, genetic studies have provided clear evidence that the northern and southern populations have not interbred for between 3 million and 12 million years, confirming that the southern right whale is a distinct species. More surprising is the finding that the northern Pacific and Atlantic populations are also distinct, and that the Pacific species (now known as the North Pacific right whale) is more closely related to the southern right whale than to the North Atlantic right whale.While Rice continued to list two species in his 1998 classification, Rosenbaum, et al. disputed this in 2000, as did Brownell et al. in 2001. In 2005, Mammal Species of the World listed three species, indicating a shift to this approach. The communities first split because of the joining of North and South America. The heat of the equator then separated them further into northern and southern groups.
"Whale lice
Whale louse
A whale louse is a parasitic crustacean of the family Cyamidae. They are related to the better-known skeleton shrimp, most species of which are found in shallower waters. Whale lice are external parasites, found in skin lesions, genital folds, nostrils and eyes of marine mammals of the order Cetacea...
", parasitic
Parasitism
Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
cyamid crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s that live off skin debris, offer information through their own genetic patterns. Lice genetic diversity is greater than whales' because lice reproduce more quickly. Marine biologists at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
examined lice genes and determined that their hosts split into three species 5–6 million years ago, and that these species were equally abundant before whaling began in the 11th century.
- "This puts an end to the long debate about whether there are three [Eubalaena] species of right whale. They really are separate beyond a doubt," said Jon Seger, the project's leader.
Behavior
One behavior unique to the southern right whale, known as sailing, is that of using their elevated flukes to catch the wind. It appears to be a form of play and is commonly seen off the coast of ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Population and distribution
The southern right whale spends summer in the far Southern Ocean feeding, probably close to Antarctica. It migrates north in winter for breeding and can be seen by the coasts of ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
, Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Tristan de Cunha, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The total population is estimated to be around 12,000. Since hunting ceased, stocks are estimated to have grown by 7% a year. It appears that the South American, South African and Australasian groups intermix very little if at all, because maternal fidelity to feeding and calving habitats is very strong. The mother also passes these choices to her calves.
The most recent population estimates, published by National Geographic in October 2008, put the southern whale population at 10,000. The estimate of 7,000 followed a March, 1998 IWC
International Whaling Commission
The International Whaling Commission is an international body set up by the terms of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling , which was signed in Washington, D.C...
workshop. Researchers used data about adult female populations from three surveys (one in each of Argentina, South Africa and Australia, collected during the 1990s) and extrapolated to include unsurveyed areas, number of males and calves using available male:female and adult:calf ratios to give an estimated 1999 figure of 7,500 animals.
New Zealand
Many features are still unknown about right whale populations in New Zealand waters. However, studies by Department of Conservation and sightings reported by locals helped to deepen understanding. Scientists used to believe there was a very small, remnant population of southern right whales inhabiting New Zealand's "main" islands (North and South Island), containing probably 11 reproductive females. In winter, whales migrate north to New Zealand waters and large concentrations occasionally visit the southern coasts of South Island. Bay areas along Foveaux StraitFoveaux Strait
Foveaux Strait separates Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand's third largest island, from the South Island. Three large bays, Te Waewae Bay, Oreti Beach and Toetoes Bay, sweep along the strait's northern coast, which also hosts Bluff township and harbour. Across the strait lie the Solander...
from Fiordland
Fiordland
Fiordland is a geographic region of New Zealand that is situated on the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western-most third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lakes and its ocean-flooded, steep western valleys...
region to northern Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
are important breeding habitats for right whales, especially Preservation Inlet
Preservation Inlet
Preservation Inlet is the southernmost fjord in Fiordland National Park and lies on the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand.-Geography:...
, Te Waewae Bay
Te Waewae Bay
Te Waewae Bay is the westernmost of three large bays lying on the Foveaux Strait coast of Southland, New Zealand, the others being Oreti Beach and Toetoes Bay...
, and Otago coast. The population at sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands
Auckland Islands
The Auckland Islands are an archipelago of the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands and include Auckland Island, Adams Island, Enderby Island, Disappointment Island, Ewing Island, Rose Island, Dundas Island and Green Island, with a combined area of...
is showing a remarkable recovery.
Recent study revealed that the right whale populations from New Zealand's main islands and the one from sub-Antarctic islands interbreed though it is still unknown whether the two stock originally came from a single population. Some whales can be seen at Campbell Islands, too.
Brazil
In Brazil, more than 300 individuals have been cataloged through photo identification (using head callosities) by the Brazilian Right Whale Project, maintained jointly by PetrobrasPetrobras
Petróleo Brasileiro or Petrobras is a semi-public Brazilian multinational energy corporation headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest company in Latin America by market capitalization and revenue, and the largest company headquartered in the Southern Hemisphere by market...
(the Brazilian state-owned oil company) and the International Wildlife Coalition. The State of Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina (state)
Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...
hosts a concentration of breeding and calving right whales from June to November, and females from this population also calve off Argentinian Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
.
Whaling
By 1750 the North Atlantic right whaleNorth Atlantic Right Whale
The North Atlantic right whale which means "good, or true, whale of the ice") is a baleen whale, one of three right whale species belonging to the genus Eubalaena, formerly classified as a single species. With only 400 in existence, North Atlantic right whales are among the most endangered whales...
was as good as extinct for commercial purposes and the Yankee whalers
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
moved into the South Atlantic before the end of the 18th century. The southernmost Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian whaling station was established in 1796, in Imbituba
Imbituba
Imbituba is a port and coastal town in the southern Brazil state of Santa Catarina. It has a population of around 39,000. Up until the middle of the twentieth century Imbituba was an important home of Brazilian whalers since 1796, when the southernmost whaling station in Brazil was established...
. Over the next one hundred years, Yankee whaling spread into the Southern and Pacific Oceans, where the American fleet was joined by fleets from several European nations.
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, and 15,000 in the North Pacific. Given the incompleteness of these records, the total take was somewhat higher.
As it became clear that stocks were nearly depleted, right whaling was banned in 1937. The ban was largely successful, although some illegal whaling continued for several decades. Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
took its last two right whales in 1968. Illegal whaling continued off the coast of Brazil for many years and the Imbituba station processed right whales until 1973. The Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
admitted illegally taking over 3,300 during the 1950s and '60s, although it only reported taking 4.
Whales began to be seen again in Australian and New Zealand waters from the early 1960s.
Conservation
The southern right whale, listed as "endangered" by CITES, is protected by all countries with known breeding populations (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and Uruguay). In Brazil, a federal Environmental Protection Area encompassing some 1560 square kilometre and 130 km (80.8 mi) of coastline in Santa Catarina State was established in 2000 to protect the species' main breeding grounds in Brazil and promote regulated whale watching.The Southern right whale is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS
Bonn Convention
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range...
) as this species has been categorized as being in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant proportion of their range.
The Southern right whale is covered by the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific Cetaceans MoU).
Gull attacks
Kelp gullsKelp Gull
The Kelp Gull , also known as the Dominican Gull, breeds on coasts and islands through much of the southern hemisphere. The race L. d. vetula occurs around southern Africa, and nominate L. d...
have been observed feeding on live southern right whales since at least 1996 off the coast of Patagonia. The kelp gull uses its powerful beak to peck down centimetres into the skin and blubber, often leaving the whales with large open sores, some of which have been observed to be half a meter in diameter. This predatory behavior has been continually documented in Argentinian waters, and continues today. It is thought that open garbage pits that provide food for gulls contribute to an overpopulation of gulls.
Whale watching
Hermanus
Hermanus is a town with 49,000 inhabitants on the southern coast of the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is famous as a place from which to watch Southern Right whales, during the southern winter and spring and is a popular retirement town...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
one of the world centers for whale watching
Whale watching
Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and other cetaceans in their natural habitat. Whales are watched most commonly for recreation but the activity can also serve scientific or educational purposes. A 2009 study, prepared for IFAW, estimated that 13 million people went whale watching...
. During the winter months (June to November), southern right whales come so close to the shoreline that visitors can watch them from strategically placed hotels. Hermanus also has two boat–based whale watching operators. The town employs a "whale crier" (cf.
Cf.
cf., an abbreviation for the Latin word confer , literally meaning "bring together", is used to refer to other material or ideas which may provide similar or different information or arguments. It is mainly used in scholarly contexts, such as in academic or legal texts...
town crier
Town crier
A town crier, or bellman, is an officer of the court who makes public pronouncements as required by the court . The crier can also be used to make public announcements in the streets...
) to walk through the town announcing where whales have been seen. Southern right whales can also be watched at other winter breeding grounds.
In Brazil, Imbituba in Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina (state)
Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...
has been recognized as the National Right Whale Capital and holds annual Right Whale Week celebrations in September, when mothers and calves are more often seen. The old whaling station there is now a museum that documents the history of right whales in Brazil. In Argentina, Península Valdés in Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
hosts (in winter) the largest breeding population, with more than 2,000 catalogued by the Whale Conservation Institute and Ocean Alliance
Ocean alliance
Ocean Alliance, Inc., a 5013 organization, is dedicated to the conservation of whales and their marine environment through research and education. The organization is based in Gloucester, Massachusetts in the United States....
. As in the south of Argentina, the whales come within 200 m (656.2 ft) of the main beach in the city of Puerto Madryn and form a part of the large ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
industry.
In Australia's winter and spring, southern right whales can be seen from the Bunda Cliffs
Bunda cliffs
The Bunda cliffs is an aboriginal name which has been used in South Australia for the name of the Nullarbor coastal cliffs. The usage is not included in national geographic name databases - but the usage is general in South Australia...
and Twin Rocks, both along the remote Great Australian Bight
Great Australian Bight
The Great Australian Bight is a large bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia.-Extent:...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. In Warrnambool, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, there exists a nursery which is popular with tourists in the winter and spring.