Interesting Facts About

Southern Right Whales

How Large is an Adult Southern Right Whale ?

An Adult Southern Right Whale can weigh up to 40 tones. This equates to a combined weight of 10 Adult African Elephants. Female Southern Right Whales are generally larger than Male Southern Right Whales and can measure up to 17 metres in length.

What is the average lifespan of Southern Right Whales?

The average Lifespan of a Southern Right Whale is 50 years but some have lived longer.

Southern Right Whales are a Protected Species

Southern Right Whales became a protected species in 1935 from commercial Whaling. Unfortunately, the population is still at a fraction of its original population to what it was. The population is slowly increasing by 7 percent per year. The International Whaling Commision (IWC) has been regulating the Whaling Industry since it was established in 1946. The plight of the entire Whale population has become very important and the IWC has imposed increasing restrictions on Commercial Whaling. In 1982 an adoption was taken of an indefinite moratorium on commercial Whaling and again in 1994, the formation of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary was established.