Since the year 2000, we have been carrying out a research project on the Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) in the province of Santa Cruz. The aim is to study the biology and ecology, and to come up with strategies for conserving this species and its habitat. This province could be extremely important in reproduction, feeding and migration to other distribution areas of the species.
To fulfil the above objectives, systematic observation work is carried out in which data is recorded on the number of individuals, age class, behaviour patterns, location, as well as environment-related information. The observation work is carried out from boats and from shore, and, when weather conditions permit, aerial observations are made in order to photo-identify the animals.
The project has the support of the Argentine Naval Prefecture, the Municipality of Caleta Olivia, the
Sub-Secretariat for the Environment of the Province of Santa Cruz and the Provincial Agrarian Council for Natural Resources, and it is funded by Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) and it was funded by International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) up 2009 and by Petrobrás Energía S.A. Since January 2008 to March 2009.
Getting to know the Southern right whale
The Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) belongs to the Balaenidae family within the Mysticetes group (or cetaceans with baleens). This family comprises four species: the Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis), the Greenland or Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), the Northern Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) and the Northern Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica).
The English common name of this species, Southern right whale, refers to their being the “right” whale to hunt, as they approach close to the coast and because when dead their bodies float. They were therefore one of the first whale species to be commercially hunted.
Physical characteristics The Southern right whale measures approximately 15-17 metres, and present general sexual dimorphism, with females being larger than males. Their weight varies between 35 and 40 tons. The body is sturdy, with rhomboid-shaped pectoral fins, as with the majority of mysticetes, no dorsal fin, and a wide fluke with a deep central notch. The head is large; representing 1/3 of the body length, and covered with callosities that become ivory- and orange-coloured during the first year of life. The callosities are inhabited by small crustaceans which is why colouring varies. The distribution of the callosities is used as a pointer in identifying individuals by studying photographs of the head.
The line of the mouth is curved, with between 205-270 blackish baleens on each side of the jaw which can grow to up to 3 metres in length. The respiratory orifices expel air in the shape of a “V” forming a cloud which can be seen from a considerable distance and which can reach up to 5 metres in height.
These whales appear black or dark grey, with irregular white patches on the belly, although very occasionally these can be on the back. Albino animals have been found and these grow darker with age.
Distribution
They are to be found exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. During Winter and Spring they appear off the coasts of Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile, also off South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands, Orcadas, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, Kerguelen and Crozet among other islands.
Southern right whales, like all large whales, migrate from the breeding and calving areas to feeding areas.
For breeding they seek out calm, warm waters and feed in cold waters where there is an abundance of Krill, a small crustacean, and copepods on which they feed. The technique used is filtration. They feed swimming at a speed of between 3-5 km/h with the mouth open, either on the surface or beneath, where the baleens act as filters, letting the water pass through and retaining only the food.
Biology and Ecology
In Argentina they can be observed between May and December in the area around the Peninsula Valdés, Chubut Province, one of the most important breeding areas in the Southern Hemisphere.
It is possible to observe females either alone or accompanied by their calves, and mating groups and groups of juveniles. A female can mate with various males, and she will try to avoid mating by turning on her back or by heading towards shallow waters where there is insufficient space for copulation to take place.
Gestation lasts for approximately 1 year, and calves are born between late June and mid-October and weigh about 1 ton. Each female can give birth to one offspring every 3-5 years, and females reach sexual maturity, on average, after 9 years. Females and their calves remain on the surface for long periods of time near to the coast, and some youngsters return the following year with their mother to the breeding grounds but quickly separate once there.
In these same areas it is common to find juveniles, socializing in small groups.
Conservation
This species has been hunted for centuries by human beings, and during the period when commercial whaling was on the increase it was one of the species most captured, especially in the Northern Hemisphere where sadly few Northern right whales remain and the species is in danger of extinction.
Fortunately, for the species which inhabits Argentine waters the situation is different, and currently thanks to the protection measures adopted, the population is now on the increase, although due to its slow reproduction rate it is necessary to continue monitoring this population so as to allow the species to continue to recover.
In 1984, Argentina declared this species a National Natural Monument, granting it the maximum protection a country can give to a species. In 2003 it was declared a Provincial Natural Monumentby the province of Santa Cruz.
