Knowra Right whale Right whale A baleen whale in the genus Eubalaena, characterized by a massive head, rough callosities on its skin, and no dorsal fin. The genus includes three living species.
North Atlantic right whale : A critically endangered right whale of the North Atlantic, with a population concentrated off eastern North America. It is one of the three living Eubalaena species and the most endangered.
Skim feeding : A feeding method in which a whale swims with its mouth open, filtering prey from water flowing through baleen. Right whales often feed continuously near the surface using this method.
Commercial whaling : The large-scale hunting of whales for products such as oil, baleen, and meat. Right whales were prized because their bodies floated after death and yielded abundant oil and baleen.
North Atlantic right whale population : The remnant population of North Atlantic right whales, numbering fewer than 400 individuals in recent estimates. Its small size makes this population a stark case of incomplete recovery.
North Pacific right whale : A rare right whale species inhabiting the North Pacific, divided into eastern and western populations. Its range shows how right whales occupy separate ocean basins.
Zooplankton : Small drifting animals and animal-like organisms that form a major food source in aquatic ecosystems. Dense zooplankton patches, especially copepods, sustain right whales.
Baleen industry : The trade in whale baleen, used historically in products including corsets, brushes, and carriage springs. Demand for flexible baleen added value to right whales killed by whalers.
North Pacific right whale population : The sparse, geographically divided populations of North Pacific right whales surviving after extensive whaling. This species demonstrates how whaling left some right whale populations exceptionally rare.
Southern right whale : A right whale species found in the Southern Hemisphere, migrating between feeding and calving grounds. It is the genus’s southern counterpart to the two northern species.
Copepod : A small crustacean common in marine plankton and a major food source for many baleen whales. Right whales target dense concentrations of these tiny crustaceans.
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