Marine Mammals
Southern Right Whale
Eubalaena australis
Southern right whales are large baleen whales that migrate between high-latitude feeding grounds and the sheltered coastal waters of southern Australia, where they breed, give birth and nurse their calves during winter and spring.
Image: John Totterdell
Scientific Name
Eubalaena australis
Family
Balaenidae
Conservation Status
Endangered — EPBC Act
Size
Approx. 16 metres
Feeding
Zooplankton, including krill and copepods
Distribution & Habitat
Southern Australia’s Coastal Waters
Southern right whales occur seasonally along Australia’s southern coastline, with records extending north to Exmouth/Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia and Hervey Bay in Queensland.
During the breeding season they favour shallow coastal habitats, including sheltered bays and nearshore waters. A particularly important aggregation occurs at the Head of the Great Australian Bight in South Australia.
Migration • Seasonal Movements
FROM SOUTHERN FEEDING GROUNDS TO COASTAL NURSERIES
Southern right whales migrate annually between high-latitude feeding areas and temperate Australian waters.
They are most commonly present along the Australian coast between April and November, with calving and nursing concentrated between May and October. Mothers and calves often use very shallow, sheltered coastal waters during this period.
Feeding Ecology
FILTER FEEDING ON PLANKTON
Southern right whales are baleen whales. Instead of teeth, they have long plates of baleen suspended from the upper jaw that act as a filter.
They feed primarily on zooplankton such as copepods and krill, moving slowly through dense patches of prey with their mouths partly open. As seawater passes through the baleen plates, fine fringes along their inner edges trap the prey, which is then collected and swallowed.
This feeding method is known as skim feeding. It allows southern right whales to consume large quantities of small prey while expending relatively little energy.
Most feeding occurs in productive offshore and high-latitude waters during the warmer months. The whales store this energy as body fat, which supports their annual migration and, for females, the considerable demands of pregnancy and nursing. While visiting Australia’s coastal breeding and nursery areas, southern right whales typically rely on these stored reserves rather than feeding.
Reproduction & Calf Development
Breeding in Shallow Coastal Waters
Southern right whales return to sheltered coastal waters to give birth and nurse their calves.
Gestation lasts approximately 11–12 months. Females generally produce a single calf around every three years, although longer intervals can occur.
Calves remain dependent on their mothers for many months. Lactation lasts for at least seven to eight months, with calves generally weaned within their first year. During this period, mothers rely on energy reserves accumulated on their feeding grounds to produce energy-rich milk and support their rapidly growing calves.
Image: Jaimen Hudson
Identification
Southern right whales have broad, stocky bodies and several distinctive features that help distinguish them from other large whales.
Their smooth backs have no dorsal fin, while raised patches called callosities form recognisable patterns across the head and lower jaw. At the surface, their paired blowholes produce a characteristic V-shaped blow.
How to recognise a Southern Right Whale
No Dorsal Fin
Head Callosities
V-shaped blow
broad pectoral fins
Individual Identification
EVERY CALLOSITY PATTERN IS DIFFERENT
Callosities are present from birth and persist throughout a whale’s life. The pattern is unique to each individual, allowing researchers to identify and monitor whales through photographs.
Long-term photo-identification helps researchers track movements, survival and reproductive histories across the population.
Image: John Totterdell
Source: Australian Government DCCEEW, National Recovery Plan for the Southern Right Whale (2024).
Historical Context
The Legacy of commercial whaling
Southern right whales were heavily targeted during commercial whaling because they moved slowly, frequently occupied coastal waters and yielded large quantities of oil and baleen.
Whaling caused catastrophic declines throughout the Southern Hemisphere. Although southern right whales have been protected for decades, Australian populations remain well below their historical abundance and recovery has been uneven across their range.
Image: Eric Douglas, The Discovery moored alongside a whaling factory ship, Antarctica, 1930–1931. Museums Victoria. Public Domain.
Conservation
Protected, but recovery remains uneven
Southern right whales have been protected in Australian waters since 1935 and are listed as Endangered under national environmental law.
Decades of protection have allowed parts of the Australian population to recover, but progress has been uneven. The western population has increased more strongly, while the south-eastern population remains much smaller and particularly vulnerable to human impacts.
Because southern right whales breed and nurse their calves in shallow coastal waters, they can be exposed to human activity close to shore. Major threats include climate change, entanglement, habitat loss or degradation, underwater noise, vessel strikes and changes in prey availability.
Long-term recovery depends on protecting important breeding and nursery habitat, reducing avoidable disturbance and injury, and continuing coordinated research and population monitoring.
Conservation Priorities
01
Safeguard the sheltered coastal areas used by mothers and calves for breeding, resting and nursing.
PROTECT COASTAL HABITAT
02
REDUCE HUMAN IMPACTS
Limit disturbance, underwater noise, entanglement and the risk of collisions with vessels.
03
Use aerial surveys, photo-identification and long-term research to track population health and guide conservation action.
MONITOR RECOVERY
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