Southern Right Whale
Southern Right Whales are found throughout the Southern Ocean including off the coasts of S. America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica. They distinguish themselves by their large dorsal-free backs, long arching mouths and the callosities (calluses) which form on the whales’ head. Southern Right Whales are related to the North Pacific and North Atlantic Right Whales though it is believed the different species have not interbred over 3 million year. One behaviour unique to Southern Right Whales is the ‘sailing’ whereby the whales lift their tail (fluke) to catch the wind and glide along the water’s surface.
Traditionally Southern Right Whales were hunted en masse. In 1937 Right Whaling was banned. Though some illegal whaling still took places the ban allowed for numbers to replete themselves gradually. Today Southern Right Whales are considered ‘endangered’ on the CITES list and conservation programmes exist in various countries including Argentina, Brazil and South Africa.
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Argentina
A magnificent country of dramatic geographical contrasts hosting some incredible wildlife and conservation projects.