The Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as “right” whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena.
Like other right whales, the Southern Right Whale is readily distinguished from others by the callosities on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin, and a long arching mouth that begins above the eye.
Its skin is very dark grey or black, occasionally with some white patches on the belly. The right whale's callosities appear white due to large colonies of cyamids (whale lice).
It is almost indistinguishable from the closely related North Atlantic and the North Pacific right whales, displaying only minor skull differences. It may have fewer callosities on its head and more on its lower lips than the two Northern species.
Approximately 10,000 Southern Right Whales are spread throughout the Southern part of the Southern Hemisphere.
The size of an adult female can reach 15m and can weigh up to 47 tonnes with the larger records of 17.5–18m in length and 80 tonnes in weight, making them slightly smaller than other right whales in the Northern Hemisphere.
The testicles of right whales are likely to be the largest of any animal, each weighing around 500kg!! This suggests that sperm competition is important in the mating process.
The proportion and numbers of molten-coloured individuals are notable in this species compared with the other species in the Northern Hemisphere. Some whales remain white even after growing up.
Did you know?: Southern Right Whales cannot cross the warm equatorial waters to connect with the other sub-species and inter-breed: their thick layers of insulating blubber make it impossible for them to dissipate their internal body heat in tropical waters. However, based on historical records and unconfirmed sightings in modern periods, E. australis have been seen in equatorial waters.
Cache: The container is a camouflaged honey bottle containing a log sheet [please replace it carefully in the zip lock bag], pencil and sharpener. Please hide the container carefully as found.
There is space for small items of SWAG/trackables.