Expert advice
WHAT AM I LOOKING AT?
HUMPBACK WHALE
• It has a single, bushy blow of three to eight metres high.
• Their tails have unique pigmentation patterns on the underside, which are partially white, and each has a unique serrated edge.
• The dorsal fin is a wide-based stubby fin on a hump on its back.
• The flippers are very long, about one third of its body length and often white underneath.
• You’ll see black lumps (called tubercles) on the head and lower jaw, and the throat is often – but not always – white, with distinct grooves.
SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE
• If you see a wide V-shaped blow reaching up to four metres high, it’ll be a southern right. Also, they often come in close to shore.
• The tail fluke is triangular with a distinctive central notch and smooth edges, and it’s black on both sides.
• There is no dorsal fin.
• The flippers are large, broad and paddle-shaped, black on both sides and are often seen above the surface.
• Its head is covered in whitish callosities.
• When breaching, it often does so up to 10 times, lifting almost its entire body out the water.
BRYDE’S WHALE
• This whale has a slender blow (three to four metres) compared to humpbacks and southern rights.
• The tail fluke is rarely, if ever, seen.
• It is far easier to identify by its dorsal fin – an erect, crescent-shaped fin (similar to a dolphin’s) located far down on the back.
• It has a long sleek body, up to 14 metres long.
• The head makes up about a quarter of its length, with 40 to 70 ventral pleats running on the underside to the naval area.
• It has smallish flippers.
KILLER WHALE (ORCA)
• It does not blow strongly, though the spray might be visible on a cold day.
• The tail’s upper side is black, the underside white and it has a distinct notch in the centre.
• The dorsal fin is usually very tall and erect in adult males.
• Large, black, oval flippers.
• The head is rounded, ending in a short beak with teeth. There’s a white patch above and behind the eyes.
• These whales frequently breach, often clearing the water and landing with a great splash. They also ‘spyhop’ – popping up with most of the flippers above the surface.