right whales

A female North Atlantic Right Whale with her calf.

Size comparison against an average human Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Cetacea

Suborder: Mysticeti

Family: Balaenidae

Genus: Eubalaena

Gray, 1864 Type species Balaena australis

Desmoulins, 1822

Range of the Eubalaena species. Species

Eubalaena australis

Eubalaena glacialis

Eubalaena japonica Synonyms Halibalaena Gray, 1873 Hunterius Gray, 1866

Right whales are the species of large baleen whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Three right whale species are recognized in this genus. They are closely related genetically to the larger, arctic Bowhead Whale, which is currently placed in its own genus, Balaena. Over the last two centuries the taxonomy of these species has been in flux, with the right whales often being considered to be in the same genus, Balaena as the Bowhead. Because of the genetic similarity, all four of these species are included in the taxonomic family family Balaenidae, and sometimes all members of this family are referred to as right whales. The Pygmy Right Whale (Capera marginata), a much smaller whale of the Southern Hemisphere, was also included in the Balaenidae family, but has recently been found to be so different as to justify its own family Neobalaenidae.

Right whales can grow up to 18 m (59 ft) long and weigh up to 100 tons. Their rotund bodies are mostly black, with distinctive callosities (roughened patches of skin) on their heads. They are called "right whales" because whalers thought the whales were the "right" ones to hunt, as they float when killed and often swim within sight of the shore. Populations were vastly reduced by intensive harvesting during the active years of the whaling industry. Today, instead of hunting them, people often watch these acrobatic whales for pleasure.

The four Balaenidae species live in distinct locations. Approximate population figures: 300 North Atlantic Right Whales live in the North Atlantic; 50 North Pacific Right Whales live in the eastern North Pacific and perhaps 400-900 more in the Sea of Ohkotsk; 7,500 Southern Right Whales are spread throughout the southern part of the Southern Hemisphere; 8,000–9,200 Bowhead Whales are distributed entirely in the Arctic Ocean. Contents [hide] 1 Taxonomy 1.1 Three Eubalaena species theory 1.2 Balaena fossil record 1.3 Synonyms and common names 2 Description 3 Diet 4 Sound production and hearing 5 Whaling 6 Population and distribution today 7 Conservation 8 Whale watching 9 Notes 10 References 11 External links //

Taxonomy

After many years of shifting views on the number of Balaenidae species, recent genetic evidence indicates that there are four distinct species. These species have traditionally been allocated to two genera.

The Bowhead Whale is currently considered an individual species and has been classified alone