Pygmy Right Whale
Little is known about the Pygmy Right Whale's extact distribution, but sightings and strandings around Australian, South African and Tasmanian coasts in the spring and summer suggest that this small cetacean moves into inshore waters during this time of year.
Classification: The Pygmy Right Whale was described and assigned to a new genus in 1846 by John Edward Gray, Keeper of the British Museum's Zoology Department.
Description: The Pygmy Right Whale is more streamlined than its other family members, the Right Whales and Bowhead Whale. It more closely resembles the rorquals (such as the Blue and Minke Whales) due to its narrow rounded flippers and the presence of a dorsal fin. However, they do resemble the Right and Bowhead Whales as well with the highly-arched jawline which becomes more pronounced with age. They are grey or black in colour, lightening to a white or light grey belly, and one albino individual has been recorded. As in all the other baleen whales, there is sexual dimorphism in length, with females larger than males - the largest female measured 6.45m and the largest male 6.05m. They are estimated to weigh between 3-4 tonnes. The longest baleen plate measures 70cm in length, with 420-460 per animal.
Recognition at sea: It is virtually impossible to tell this species from the Minke Whale, unless the head is visible. If it is, the key distinguishing feature would be the arched jawline.
Habitat: Pygmy Right Whales seem to be located solely in most waters of the Southern Hemisphere.
Food & Feeding: Pygmy Right Whales usually seem to feed on copepods, although the method of feeding has never been observed.
Behaviour: Pygmy Right Whales have been rarely observed at sea, and therefore information about their behaviour and habitat is sketchy. They appear 'unspectacular' at sea, with little or no acrobatics, swimming slowly and diving for short spaces of time. They travel either alone or in pairs.
Longevity: Unknown.
Estimated Current Population: Unknown.
The Influence of Man: Apart from occasional entaglement in fishing nets, this cetacean has suffered no other man-induced mortality and has never been exploited.
Source: CETACEA
|
|
