Breeding Season (May to October)

The Southern Right Whales come to give birth in the protected bay each year between Mid May to late October. The Female whales generally breed once every three years and bear calves that are about 5.5 m long and 1000—1500 kg at birth. While most Southern Right Whales are black to dark grey with small ventral patches of white, these animals have extensive areas of white sometimes extending well up the flanks or even onto the back and head. Some calves are even born completely white, developing dark markings later in life. Females feed and nurture their young in the shallows where they can best protect their young from predators such as their Killer Whale cousins or the Great White Shark.

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Whale Food

Southern Right Whales are ‘baleen’ whales which have horny plates of baleen hanging down from their upper jaws. They sieve swarms of plankton from the water through the fibrous inner hairs of the baleen plates. Most feeding is thought to occur in the highly productive polar areas during summer, but they do not move as far south as humpbacks or other baleen whales.

Whale Behaviour

Southern Right Whales regularly engage in tail lobbing, flipper slapping and even head standing. After they breach, the sound of these mammoth acrobats hitting the water can be heard from a great distance. They are usually seen in mother and calf pairs, but occasionally hang out in groups of up to 20. The mammals may moan.

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