North Atlantic Right Whale: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Giants of the Deep · day 6 of 7

Five facts

1. The rough white patches on a right whale's head are home to whole colonies of whale lice.
2. Blubber can make up 45% of a right whale's weight. Because fat is light, its body floats even after death.
3. Right whales feed by slowly skimming through patches of copepods and other small prey at or below the surface.
4. Most adults are 13-18 m long, and the head alone makes up a quarter of their total length.
5. Each year they travel from feeding grounds in the Labrador Sea to winter calving areas off Georgia and Florida.

The quiz

1. What lives on the white patches of a right whale's head?

• Whale lice (correct)
• Barnacle geese
• Sea snails
• Small fish

The callosities host large colonies of cyamids, or whale lice.

2. What happens to a right whale's body after death?

• It sinks quickly
• It drifts at depth
• It floats (correct)
• It dissolves

Blubber has a low density, so a carcass floats after death.

3. How do right whales feed?

• Diving deep for squid
• Slowly skimming through patches of prey (correct)
• Chasing fish at speed
• Stunning prey with sound

They feed by slowly skimming through patches of copepods and other small prey.

4. What fraction of a right whale's total length is its head?

• A tenth
• Half
• A third
• A quarter (correct)

The head makes up a quarter of their total length.

5. Where are the winter calving areas of right whales?

• Off Georgia and Florida (correct)
• Off Greenland
• Off Norway
• Off Brazil

They migrate to winter calving areas off Georgia and Florida.

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