The southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) can reach 16 m (52 ft) and weigh more than 40 tonnes. It arrives every winter in Golfo San José and Golfo Nuevo because they are calm, shallow waters, ideal for giving birth and nursing. Calves are born 4 to 5 m (13–16 ft) long.
How to recognize a southern right whale
- No dorsal fin.
- White callosities on the head, with a unique pattern used to identify each individual.
- V-shaped blow, visible from far away.
- Slow and often at the surface, which makes it easy to watch.
Protection
In Argentina it has been a National Natural Monument since 1984 (Law 23,094). For decades researchers have photographed the whales arriving at the peninsula each season, one of the longest-running studies of a whale population in the world.
See them up close
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