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North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis)
North Atlantic Right Whale off Grand Manan, Gulf of Maine. Photograph by Gale McCullough. Some rights reserved. (view image details) 
North Atlantic Right Whale off Grand Manan, Gulf of Maine. Photograph by Gale McCullough. Some rights reserved. (view image details) 
Atlantic Northern Right Whale mother and calf. Photograph by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission/NOAA. License: Public Domain. (view image details)
NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE FACTS
DescriptionThe North Atlantic Right Whale is dark colored with a large rotund body and no dorsal fin. It has prominent callosities on the rostrum (snout), near blowholes, near eyes, and on the chin and lower lip. Callosities are raised rough patches of skin that appear white or gray due to infestation by whale lice. The flippers are very broad and short. Right Whales have enormous baleen plates that can be up to 5m long. There are about 300 plates on each side of the mouth. The jaws are extremely arched in order to fit these long baleen plates. The head is very large making up about one-third of the total body length. Size length : up to 17m. Weight: 55,000kg - 95,000 kg. Environment Right whales move from sub polar regions to lower latitudes in winter. They are often found near bays and peninsulas and in shallow, coastal waters Food Right whales are filter feeders. They skim near the surface of the water feeding on small crustaceans such as copepods, krill, and euphausiids. They swim near the surface with their mouth open taking in water and crustaceans. The water is filtered through the baleen plates trapping the food. Breeding Females give birth to a single calf every 3- 4 years. The gestation period is about 12 months. The calf is about 4.5m - 6m long at birth. Range temperate and sub polar waters of the north Atlantic and north Pacific oceans. In the Northwest Atlantic, they are found from Iceland to the Gulf of Mexico. They calf off the coasts of Florida and Georgia in winter. Conservation Status The conservation status in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals is "endangered". Classification
Relatives in same Genus North Pacific Right Whale (E. japonica) Home | Mammals | Reptiles | Birds | Insects | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Contact Us |