Everything about The North Atlantic Right Whale totally explained
The
North Atlantic Right Whale (
Eubalaena glacialis) is a
baleen whale, one of three species formerly called classified as the
Right Whale belonging to the genus
Eubalaena. About 300 North Atlantic Right Whales live in the
North Atlantic Ocean.
Like other right whales, North Atlantic Right Whales are readily distinguished from other whales by the
callosities on their heads, a broad back without a
dorsal fin, and a long arching mouth that begins above the eye. The body of the whale is very dark grey or black, occasionally with some white patches on the belly. The right whale's callosities appear white, not due to skin pigmentation, but to large colonies of cyamids or
whale lice.
Adult right whales average 35-55 feet (10.7-16.8 meters) in length and weigh up to 70 tons (63,500 kilograms); the largest measured have been 60 feet long and 117 tons (106,500 kilograms). Females are larger than males and first give birth at age nine or 10 after a yearlong gestation; the interval between births seems to have increased in recent years and now averages three to six years. Calves are 13-15 feet long at birth. There is little data on their life span, but it's believed to be at least 50 years, and closely related species may live more than a century.
Whaling
Right whales were so named because
whalers thought they were the "right" whale to hunt. 40% of a right whale's body weight is
blubber, which is of relatively low density. Consequently, unlike many other species of whale, deceased right whales float. Combined with the right whale's slowness through water they were easy to catch even for whalers equipped only with wooden boats and hand-held
harpoons.
The
Basques were the first to commercially hunt the North Atlantic Right Whale. They began doing so as early as the 11th century in the
Bay of Biscay. The whales were hunted initially for their oil but, as
meat preservation technology improved, the animal was also used for food. Basque whalers reached eastern
Canada by 1530 However, a few sightings are regular between Norway, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands and even Sicily and at least the Norway individuals come from the Western stock.
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