Southern Right Whale Information & Facts
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.
Whale Features
Southern Right Whales have horny growths on the top of their head called callosites. The patches are different for each individual which aids identification. The head of a Southern Right Whale is large and the lower jaw line is distinctively bowed. They do not have a fin on the back. The flippers are broad, triangular and flat and the body colour ranges from blue-black to light brown. There are often white markings, usually on the belly. The twin blowholes produce a high, V-shaped blow.
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.
HoB Whale Facts
- Between May and October approximately 100 whales appear at Head of Bight
- Whales at HoB take up 'residence' for the entire 5 month winter period
- HoB is recognised as a calving ground & nursery of international significance for the species
- 2% of Southern Right Whales born at HoB are white and turn grey instead of the usual black
- You are guaranteed to see a whale from June to August
- In June 2014 an aerial scan counted 169 Southern Right Whales, 2 Humpback Whales, a couple of Great White Sharks and lots of Dolphins
- In 2012 55 calves were born at HoB. Of those 55 calves four of them were white
- 1000 whales have been recorded in the HoB region
- Some whales have been observed returning to HoB since 1991
Protected Species
Southern Right Whales were almost hunted to extinction. Because of this, these beautiful creatures have had complete protection since 1937. They are still listed as "vulnerable".
Southern Right Whales are curious animals who often approach boats closely. Please follow the whale watchers code. Boats should not approach closer than 100 metres to a whale, a vessel should not separate a group or mother and calf, aircraft should not fly lower than 500 meters above a whale and, if you are in the water and a whale approaches, you must stay at least 30 metres from the whale. If you should spot a whale entangled in rope or fishing equipment call the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities so the department's special whale and dolphin disentanglement team can help the animal. Click here for further information on Whale Watching Guidelines.
Protected area
Whale watching at its best
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Mauris aliquet turpis eget lectus blandit vulputate. Cras blandit sodales urna vel pharetra. Maecenas feugiat, libero id dapibus sollicitudin, felis quam interdum augue, sed venenatis dui libero vel risus. Fusce quis enim nisl, sit amet ullamcorper libero. In hac habitasse platea dictumst.
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Second sub heading
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Mauris aliquet turpis eget lectus blandit vulputate. Cras blandit sodales urna vel pharetra. Maecenas feugiat, libero id dapibus sollicitudin, felis quam interdum augue, sed venenatis dui libero vel risus. Fusce quis enim nisl, sit amet ullamcorper libero. In hac habitasse platea dictumst.
Some other heading
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- Morbi aliquam ultrices velit, a purus accumsan at.
- Quisque vel leo vel libero varius eu vitae libero.
- Maecenas iacnisi, ac suscipit velit cursus eget.
- Sed eu diam vel sem auctor eu a justo.
Breading season
Whale watching at its best
Vestibulum eu erat augue, nec elementum tortor. Mauris aliquet turpis eget lectus blandit vulputate. Maecenas feugiat, libero id dapibus sollicitudin, felis quam interdum augue, sed venenatis dui libero vel risus. Fusce quis enim nisl, sit amet ullamcorper libero. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Sed sit amet ligula ut tortor fermentum dapibus ut non elit. Integer nec consequat tortor. Cras blandit sodales urna vel pharetra. Nulla facilisi. Suspendisse et ligula velit. Nunc at metus quis mi scelerisque lobortis eget in massa. Aenean turpis est, fringilla at tincidunt a, iaculis ut odio.
Mauris aliquet turpis eget lectus blandit vulputate. Cras blandit sodales urna vel pharetra. Maecenas feugiat, libero id dapibus sollicitudin, felis quam interdum augue, sed venenatis dui libero vel risus. Fusce quis enim nisl, sit amet ullamcorper libero. In hac habitasse platea dictumst.
Mauris aliquet turpis eget lectus blandit vulputate. Cuam interdum augue, sed venenatis dui libero vel risus. Fusce quis enim nisl, sit amet ullamcorper libero. In hac habitasse platea dictumst.
Second sub heading
Vestibulum eu erat augue, nec elementum tortor. Mauris aliquet turpis eget lectus blandit vulputate. Maecenas feugiat, libero id dapibus sollicitudin, felis quam interdum augue, sed venenatis dui libero vel risus. Fusce quis enim nisl, sit amet ullamcorper libero. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Sed sit amet ligula ut tortor fermentum dapibus ut non elit. Integer nec consequat tortor. Cras blandit sodales urna vel pharetra. Nulla facilisi. Suspendisse et ligula velit. Nunc at metus quis mi scelerisque lobortis eget in massa. Aenean turpis est, fringilla at tincidunt a, iaculis ut odio.
Mauris aliquet turpis eget lectus blandit vulputate. Cras blandit sodales urna vel pharetra. Maecenas feugiat, libero id dapibus sollicitudin, felis quam interdum augue, sed venenatis dui libero vel risus. Fusce quis enim nisl, sit amet ullamcorper libero. In hac habitasse platea dictumst.
Some other heading
Vestibulum eu erat augue, nec elementum tortor. Mauris aliquet turpis eget lectus blandit vulputate. Maecenas feugiat.
- Morbi aliquam ultrices velit, a purus accumsan at.
- Quisque vel leo vel libero varius eu vitae libero.
- Maecenas iacnisi, ac suscipit velit cursus eget.
- Sed eu diam vel sem auctor eu a justo.
Types of Whales
Whilst Southern Right Whales breed at HoB, there may be the special occasion where you witness Humpback Whales passing by.
The Southern Right Whales
So called by commercial whalers because they were the "right" prey. From 1820 to 1850 alone 26,000 Southern Right Whales were killed through whaling in Australian and New Zealand waters. The Southern Right Whale numbers are slowly increasing although they are still far below 26,000.
Late in summer the whales begin to leave their feeding grounds in the sub-Antarctic and migrate north to warmer waters. The journey is long and the whales will cover thousands of kilometres in a single trip. Each year between May and November the Head of Bight is transformed into a marine nursery as the waters come alive with the activity of the visiting whales and their calves.
Whales gradually enter the nursery waters of the Bight in early June, where those that are pregnant give birth. Daily life for the mother and new born calf revolves around periods of nursing, rest, play and travel.
Mothers and calves tend to spend more time at the Head of Bight than lone whales which tend to leave and return over the season.
Around one third of the total Southern Right Whales now seen in Australian coastal waters have been born in the sandy bays of the Great Australian Bight.
| Southern Right Whale Facts: | |
| Length Adults: | 14m to 18m |
| Length Calves: | 5m to 6m at birth |
| Weight Adults: | up to 80 tonnes |
| Weight Calves: | 1 to 1.5 tonnes at birth |
| Gestation: | 11 to 12 months |
| Weaning age: | 11 to 12 months |
| Calving interval: | Generally 3 years |
| Physical maturity Age: | unknown; |
| Sexual maturity Age: | 9 to 10 years |
| Length: | 12m to 13m |
| Mating season: | July to August |
| Calving season: | June to August |
| Cruising speed: | 3km/hr |
| Blow pattern: | V-shaped bushy blow, up to 5m |
| Protected: | Since 1935 |
Humpback Whales
From June to August the Australian humpback whales migrate towards their tropical calving grounds. As they pass the South Australian coast they can sometimes been seen in the distance, making their voyage to Western Australia.
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is the fifth largest whale. Their scientific name comes from the Greek word 'mega' meaning 'great' and 'pteron' meaning 'a wing', because of their large front flippers that can reach a length of 5 metres which is about one-third of their entire body length. They are named humpbacks because of the distinct 'hump' that shows as the whale arches its back when it dives.
| Humpback Whale Facts: | |
| Length Adults: | 14m to 18m |
| Length Calves: | 4m to 5m at birth |
| Weight Adults: | up to 50 tonnes |
| Weight Calves: | 2 tonnes at birth |
| Gestation: | 11 to 11.5 months |
| Weaning age: | up to 11 months |
| Calving interval: | 2 to 3 years |
| Physical maturity Age: | 12 to 15 years |
| Sexual maturity Age: | 4 to 10 years |
| Mating season: | June to October |
| Calving season: | June to October |
| Cruising speed: | 8km/hr |
| Blow pattern: | Small and bushy, up to 4m |
| Protected: | Since 1965 |