The Pygmy Right Whale
Whales of the World
The Pygmy Right Whale, or
Caperea Marginata
is one of the least known cetaceans. This whale is found only in the Southern Hemisphere. It is very small for a right whale. It only grows 6.1 meters. Their oddest feature are their ribs, which consists of 17 pairs.
The females grow to be larger than the males. Their lower jaw is bowed, and their upper jaw is arched. The line of the mouth extends to behind and below the eye. They are usually gray. There are about 230 strips of yellowish baleen in each upper jaw. The baleen has been said to be more flexible, tougher, and more elastic than any other whale. Little is known about the natural history of the pygmy right whale. A group of eight has been spotted but that is a very rare sight. They are usually seen alone or in pairs. They enjoy the company of dolphins, pilot whales, and sei whales. During the spring and summer they move inshore where they prefer to to be sheltered or near shallow bays. Swimming speed for this species seems to range between 5 and 8 kilometers per hour but, it appears as if these animals could move faster that that. Their diet consists of various consume copepods.
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