RIGHT WHALES

Meet the family

Alongside the bowhead, there are three other species of right whale, whose popularity with hunters has had severe impacts on their populations over the years.

NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE

From being widespread and fairly common in the North Atlantic, it was hunted to near extinction during the big whaling era. Today’s population is limited to the east coast of the US and Canada, and numbers only about 400 individuals. Now, the biggest threat towards the population is becoming entangled in fishing gear and ship strikes. Individual whales can be recognisable by the callouses that grow on them.

NORTH PACIFIC RIGHT WHALE

Despite living in the North, this species is more closely related to the southern right whale than any of its northern cousins. Overhunting in the 1800s and early 1900s brought the species to near extinction. Today, there are possibly as few as 1,000 whales left. Main distribution is along the coasts of the Bering Sea, as far south as to southern Japan and to roughly the border between Alaska and Canada on the North American side.

SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE

Divided into four breeding populations across the southern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, today’s population is thought to number about 13,000 individuals. This species migrates, feeding on krill in sub-Antarctic waters and breeding in more temperate waters. It is generally approachable and often stays near the shore, making it popular with whale watchers. However, some whales in South Africa seem to stay put all year.