Common Name: Pygmy Right Whale
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family:
Balaenidae
Genus:
Capera
Species:
Caperea marginata |
Taxonomy/Description
Pygmy right whales
belong to the Mammalian Order Cetacea, in the suborder Mysticeti.
All baleen whales belong to the suborder Mysticeti, which is Latin
for "mustached whales". The pygmy right is the smallest member of
the right whale family, Balaenidae. Other members of this family
include the bowhead whale and right whale. Whalers called these
whale species the "right" whales to hunt because they did not sink
when killed. The pygmy right whale's scientific name is Caperea
marginata. Its generic name, Caperea, means "wrinkled".
This refers to the tympanic bone in the skull. The pygmy right
whale's specific name, marginata, means "edge", referring to
the dark edges along the whale's baleen plates.
Some cetacean
taxonomists have placed the pygmy right whale in a separate family,
Neobalaenidae, from the bowhead whale and black right whale. This
is because the pygmy right whale has a variety of unique
characteristics. For example, the pygmy right whale has seventeen
large, broad ribs extending two-thirds of its body length. This is
more ribs than any other cetacean species. Their baleen plates are
also thicker and more flexible than other baleen whales. The pygmy
right whale exhibits characteristics of both right whales and
rorquals. A heavily arched mouth is similar to the mouths of
bowhead whales and black right whales. The small falcate dorsal fin
and throat grooves are reminiscent of rorquals. The dorsal fin is
very similar to the minke whale's fin. This has resulted in the
misidentification of pygmy right whales as minke whales. The
identifying characteristic of the pygmy right whale are the chevron
shaped lines on each side of the whale's head. Pygmy right whales
grow to about 20ft in length and five tons in weight. Female pygmy
right whales are slightly larger than males of the same age.
Habitat/Diet
Pygmy right whales live
in the temperate waters of the southern hemisphere. Researchers
have observed this species off the coast of Australia, New Zealand,
Tasmania, South Africa and the Falkland Islands. Pygmy right whales
forage on copepods and krill. The whale's 420-460 baleen plates
strain the ocean water for these tiny prey animals. These 27 inch
plates are composed of keratin, the same substance of fingernails
and hair. The ends of baleen are brush-like, preventing the prey
from escaping. The krill and copepods remain inside, and are
consequently swallowed.
Behavior/Reproduction
Pygmy right whales are a
rare and mysterious whale species. No more than a few hundred have
actually been observed in the wild, with only a couple dozen
specimens having been studied by scientists. Pygmy right whales
usually live alone or in pairs. They do not engage in acrobatic
displays like other whale species, rarely showing even their
flukes. They swim in a very interesting manner, undulating their
entire body, not just their tail and flukes to thrust through the
water. Little is known about their reproductive habits. Some
evidence indicates that pygmy right whales may move to coastal
waters in the spring and summer.
Conservation
Due to their extreme
rarity, pygmy right whales were not commercially hunted by
Europeans. It also appear that aboriginal whalers did not kill
them. The global population is unknown. However, it may be assumed
ocean pollution affects this whale's natural habitat and health.