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Southern Right Whale

Southern Right Whale

The Southern Right Whale looks like the North Atlantic Right Whale; there are only slight skull differences. And, these large whales display a unique behaviour, which their northern relatives haven’t acquired: They raise their fluke above the surface water into the strong southern winds. They use their flukes as sails and it is said that this is a playful behaviour! How smart is that!

Southern Right Whale Fluke

Length and Weight

Average male length: 15 m
Average female length: 16.4 m
Body weight: up to 80 tons (81,280 kg)

At birth, the calf is about 4 – 4.5 m long and weighs around 1.1ton (1000 kg). That is about as much as 3.5 adult grizzly bears!

Body and Fins

These whales have a stocky body and a huge head, making up a third of the body length.

Range

Southern Right Whale Range Map




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