NOAA Fisheries Image Gallery

Right Whale Tail

Picture by: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Picture taken on: February 27th, 2007

Tags: right whale southeast

Right whales are large baleen whales, and the second largest creature in the world - second only to the blue whale. Females are larger than males. Distinguishing features for right whales include a stocky body, generally black coloration (although some individuals have white patches on their undersides), lack of a dorsal fin, a large head (about 1/4 of the body length), strongly bowed margin of the lower lip, and callosities (raised patches of roughened skin) on the head region. Two rows of long (up to eight feet in length) dark baleen plates hang from the upper jaw, with about 225 plates on each side. The tail is broad, deeply notched, and all black with a smooth trailing edge.

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