Southern Right Whales in Hermanus, South Africa

Hermanus in South Africa is also known as the best whale-watching spot in the world.

Southern Right Whales are easily distinguished from the other 2 baleen whales ( Humpback & Bryde’s whales ) by four distinct characteristics:

They visit the South African Coast from June- December.

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Quick Facts about the Southern Right Whales

Southern Right Whales can reach a maximum length of 14-17 meters and can weigh 40 – 60 tons.
They have broad black tails and slightly rectangular-shaped flippers. with a pointed tip.
The callosities are patches of raised calcified rough skin patches that over time become colonized by barnacles and whale lice ( giving them the whitish color)
Southern Right Whales have extremely large heads that are approximately 30% of their body length.
Mating behavior is often indicated by aggregations of 2-10 interacting animals that are conspicuous from the amount of splashing and exposure of heads, bodies & flippers at the surface. The grouping behavior can persist for an hour.

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They were named “Right Whale” because they were perceived as “right” whales to hunt.

They were slow swimmers and unable to dive for long periods of time and the fact that they usually lived close to shore.
Once dead they float. These whales are very curious and will approach the boat- an easy target to harpoon.
They provide a large amount of oil (from the blubber)

SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALES 101 – CLICK HERE