Calves 5-6m at birth. Calves about 2,000 kg. The head is about one-quarter of the length of the body. Extremely arched upper jaw, and a bowed lower jaw. The adults are basically black with white to yellowish patterns on the head, and irregular splotches of white around the navel.
Calves are a lighter colour than the adults.
Along our eastern coastline, the most common sighting is of lone whales or mother and calf pairs. Sometimes three or four animals have been seen together for a few hours but they separated and travelled in opposite directions. Sometimes the hydrophones pick up the clacking sound produced by the flexible baleen plates bumping against each other when the whale is forcing water out of its mouth. The baleen is constructed of material much like fingernails and claws. The outer edge of the baleen is smooth, and the inner edge is covered with dark coloured bristles.