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          1. The Species
            1. Right whales

North Atlantic right whale

Key Facts

  • Common Name

    North Atlantic right whale, black right whale, northern right whale; Baleine de Biscaye, baleine des Basques (Fr); Ballena, ballena Franca del Norte (Sp)

  • Scientific Name

    Eubalaena glacialis

  • Status

    IUCN: Endangered

    IUCN

  • Population

    300-350 individuals

    http://www.iwcoffice.org/conservation/estimate.htm

  • Location

    Atlantic Ocean (northwest, western central)

North Atlantic and North Pacific Right Whale (<i>Eubalaena glacialis</i>)

Related Links

Background

This information has been reviewed by Karen Baragona, Deputy Director, Species Conservation, WWF-US.

The North-Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered of all large whales, with a long history of human exploitation and no signs of recovery despite protection from whaling since the 1930s. It is now mostly found along the Atlantic coast of North America, where it is threatened by entanglement in fishing gear and ship collisions. Some scientists believe these whales have already been extirpated from the eastern North Atlantic and now survive only on the east coast of the U.S. and Canada.

Between 300 and 350 individuals still exist, but despite seven decades of protection efforts, no population growth has been observed.

WWF has reached significant milestones regarding the protection of this species, including helping drive a shift of the shipping lanes in Canada's Bay of Fundy in 2003, thereby reducing the risk of ship strikes of right whales in Canadian waters by up to 80%.

However, collisions in US and other Canadian waters remain a major conservation problem for the species.

Physical Description

The right whale belongs to the suborder Mysticeti, and is characterized by a symmetrical skull, paired blowholes, and rows of baleen plates for feeding on plankton.

This is a relatively slow swimmer, averaging about 8 kph (6 mph). It usually makes a series of 5 or 6 shallow dives and then submerges for about 20 minutes. Right whales emit a number of low frequency sounds, mostly during courtship.

During the spring and summer, North Atlantic right whales migrate north to feed. Females head south in autumn to give birth to their calves in temperate waters.

They usually do not fear boats and can be easily approached by them.

Size
The North Atlantic right whale can reach 18 m for females and 12.9 m for males. The species can weigh up to 96,000 kg.

Habitat

Range States
(Sightings are exceptionally rare in places other than North America) Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Faroe Islands, France, Germany, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Norway (Svalbard and Jan Mayen), United Kingdom, United States

Geographical Location
Atlantic Ocean (northwest, western central)

Ecological Region
Grand Banks, Chesapeake Bay

Interesting Facts

Scientists recognize individual whales based on their pattern of callosities - the white patches of rough skin that give right whales their characteristic appearance.

Photos and graphics © WWF or used with permission. Text available under a Creative Commons licence. RSS/Web Feeds

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