Humpback and Right Whales

HUMPBACK WHALES (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Renowned for their spectacular behaviour, humpbacks will leap out of the water, roll in the air with their huge pectoral fins outstretched like wings, and crash noisily back into the water.

This is called breaching. The humpback got its name because of a small hump located just in front of the dorsal fin located nearly two-thirds of the way down the neck. This feature helps identify the species.

Other distinguishing features include a large pectoral fins which may be up to a third of the body length. They also have unique markings of black and white on the underside of the tail flukes, no two markings are the same, like fingerprints.

SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALES (Eubalaena australis)

Southern right whales suffered extensively from whaling early last century. They were called the right whale because it was thought they were the ‘right’ whale to hunt due to their relatively slow swim speed, curiosity for boats and because they provided large quantities of oil, meat and whalebone.

Today, they delight whale watchers with their peculiar looks and crowd attracting antics, like breaching and headstands. They sometimes hitch a free ride from the wind by using their tail as a sail.

They have an enormous head that is up to one quarter of total body length with wide pectoral fins and no dorsal fin.

Distinguishing features

All baleen whales have two blow holes however most species, the two merge into one. The southern right’s two blow holes remain separate producing a distinguishing V-shaped blow.

Above its snout is a peculiar ‘bonnet’ with smaller light coloured, rough patches of skin known as “callosities”, which are also found on the head, chin and around the eyes and blow hole.

The number, shape and position of their callosities provide each whale with its own marking and is how we can tell them apart.