RIGHT WHALE

any of three species of baleen whales of the genera Balaena and Caperea, family Balaenidae. Right whales are stout-bodied animals with enormous heads. Their upper jaws are strongly arched, and their lower lips curve upward along the sides, giving the lower jaw a scooplike form. There is no dorsal fin except in the pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata), a small, seldom-seen whale of the Southern Hemisphere. The name right whale originally referred to the bowhead, or Greenland right whale, and black right whale (Balaena mysticetus and B. glacialis); both were once considered the right whales to hunt because of their value, slowness, and buoyancy after death. The bowhead, an inhabitant of Arctic and north temperate waters, is black with a white chin, throat, and, sometimes, underparts. It can grow to a length of about 20 m (66 feet), about one-third of which is head. The black right whale, found in the northern and southern latitudes, is estimated to reach a maximum length of about 18 m. It is black, with or without white on the undersides, and is similar to the bowhead form but has a smaller, less strongly arched head. It may also have a bonnet, a horny growth infested with parasites, on its snout. It is placed by some authorities in the genus Eubalaena. It is often considered as three species: B. glacialis of the North Atlantic, B. sieboldii of the North Pacific, and B. australis of the Southern Hemisphere. The bowhead and black right whale were once of considerable value because of their oil and long, strong, elastic baleen. They were virtually exterminated by uncontrolled hunting and are now considered endangered species. They have been completely protected by international agreement since 1946.