Pygmy Right Whale

## About

A beached pygmy right whale.

The pygmy right whale ***(Caperea marginata)*** is a small species of right whale, found exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Pygmy right whales are long and slender Cetacean, having narrow bodies and pointed heads. The colouration of the pygmy right is similar to that of other whales, in that is possesses countershading, with a greyish brown back, face and head, while its underside is more white or cream in colour. Pygmy right whales have small eyes that are located above the corners of their mouths and low on their heads. This is a unique characteristic found in all mysticetes. Until 2012 the family that the pygmy right is classified in cetotheriidae, was thought to be a completely extinct family however, the pygmy right whale was placed in the family in 2012 due to new skeletal data suggesting its placement. Pygmy right whales a very small Mysticetes, only growing 6-6.5m (20-21ft) and weighing 3000-3,500kg (6,610-7,720lbs) in weight. This makes the pygmy right whale the smallest Mysticete.

## Diet

The interior of beached pygmy right whale's stomachs have been observed, and various copepods and euphausiids have been found inside. This indicates that the whale feeds on similar things to much larger Mysticetes.

## Conservation Status

Not a lot is known about the pygmy right whale however, IUCN has classified them as a least concern species. Pygmy right whales are very illusive and not much is known about what they are threatened by. Many beached individuals have been examined by researchers, proving that human activity is posing a threat for the species. 100 individuals have washed up on the beaches of Australia and New Zealand since 1980, and at least one of these whales was found to have signs of a struggle with fishing gear. In 2008 a South Australian carcass appears to have been killed by colliding with a ship. Probably the best example of human threats to the whale, was the three individuals caught in False Bay, South Africa between the years 1957-1965. Out of the three caught, two were successfully saved and released. Overall humans pose little threat to the pygmy right whale population, simply because of the less human activity occurring in the South Atlantic compared to other regions.

## Range and Population

Pygmy right whales are known to inhabit much of the south Atlantic and Pacific oceans, being found on the coasts of South Africa, Namibia, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina and various other Islands. Pygmy right whales enjoy cooler and more temperate water, as opposed to the warmer equatorial temperatures. The pygmy right whale prefers to live in cold water closer to Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere. Pygmy right whales are an exclusive Southern Hemisphere Cetacean.

## Behaviour

The behaviour of the pygmy right whale is very hard to study, as the whales have only been spotted in the ocean a handful of times. Reports of the pod sizes of pygmy right whales also vary from smaller numbers of 2-14 to large super pods of 80-100. During the early 2000s and late 1990s many sightings of the whales travelling in pods were reported. Some of these reports included; the super pod of over 100 members strong, sighted 20km (12.4mi) Southeast of Victoria, Australia in July 2007. Another report tells of another super pod with 80 members living 450km (279.6mi) Southeast of Australia in June 2001. Finally another sighting reports a much smaller pod of just 14 individuals living 750km (466mi) off the coast Southwest of New Zealand. Overall it seems that pygmy right whales are a very varied species when it comes to social groups, despite many suggesting pygmy right whales to be solitary in the past. A defining characteristic of the pygmy right whale is the fact that the whale does not seem to exhibit breaching, which is usually a major behavioural characteristic of Mysticetes. Probably the most well known behavioural characteristic of the pygmy right whale is its strange way of swimming. Unlike other Cetaceans, pygmy right whales will flex their whole bodies in a worm like motion in order to propel themselves through the water, as opposed to just flexing their tail fluke. This odd way of swimming allows the pygmy right whale to accelerate to high speeds in shorts bursts, ranging from 3-5kn (3.4-5.7nmph).

### Relationship with Humans

Pygmy right whales do not interact often with humans as they are extremely rare. They are speculated to be docile animals that show little to no aggression towards humans, much like other Mysticetes.

## In Captivity

There are no records of pygmy right whales or any Mysticetes in captivity.

## Sources

* IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3778/50351626
* Pygmy Right Whale | Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy\_right\_whale
* Pygmy Right Whale | American Cetacean Society - https://www.acsonline.org/pygmy-right-whale
* Pygmy Right Whale | Australian Government Dept. of Agriculture and the Environment - http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon\_id=39