right whales
Slow, rotund cetaceans
Right whales are large baleen whales with massive heads, no dorsal fin, and distinctive patches of rough skin called callosities.
They were named by whalers who considered them the "right" whale to hunt—they swam slowly, floated when killed, and yielded abundant oil and baleen.
Three species survive, all critically endangered: North Atlantic right whales number fewer than 400.
Whale's filtering bristles
- blowholeWhale's breathing aperture
- flukeChance stroke of luck
- calfJuvenile cow or leg part
- calvingIce mass separation
breaching · spout · blubber · diving · pod · mammal · nursing · gestation
At risk of extinction
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- threatenedExpressed intent to harm
- protectionGuarding against harm
- biodiversityRange of life forms
entanglement · fishing gear · regulations · sanctuary · survival · population decline · recovery · monitoring
Extremely large and heavy
- enormousExtremely large in scale
- immenseExtremely large in scope
- giganticImmensely large in scale
- hulkingMassive and unwieldy
colossal · hefty · weighty · ponderous · stocky · rotund · large head
Small marine crustaceans
- zooplanktonDrifting aquatic microorganisms
- copepodsMinute aquatic crustaceans
- planktonDrifting marine microlife
- filter feedingExtracting nutrients from water
Recurring at fixed intervals
- breeding groundsSites where species reproduce
- migration routesPaths animals travel seasonally
- trackingMonitoring location over time
- journeyTravel from place to place
Atlantic · coastal · wintering grounds · Cape Cod · Bay of Fundy · Florida · Georgia · Argentina
baleen
Whale's filtering bristles
calving · breaching · spout · blubber · diving · pod · mammal · nursing · gestation · lifespan
endangered
At risk of extinction
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- threatenedExpressed intent to harm
- protectionGuarding against harm
biodiversity · entanglement · fishing gear · regulations · sanctuary · survival · population decline · recovery · monitoring · critical habitat
massive
Extremely large and heavy
hulking · colossal · hefty · weighty · ponderous · stocky · rotund · large head
krill
Small marine crustaceans
- zooplanktonDrifting aquatic microorganisms
- copepodsMinute aquatic crustaceans
- planktonDrifting marine microlife
filter feeding · foraging · aggregation · open mouth · water column
seasonal
Recurring at fixed intervals
- breeding groundsSites where species reproduce
- migration routesPaths animals travel seasonally
- trackingMonitoring location over time
journey · Atlantic · coastal · wintering grounds · Cape Cod · Bay of Fundy · Florida · Georgia · Argentina · South Africa
- marine mammalsdolphin, dolphins, porpoise, seals, seal
- whale conservationmoratorium, marine sanctuaries, protected species, rehabilitation centers, humpbacks
- marine ecosystemsphytoplankton, oceans, zooplankton, marine life, krill
- Cape CodProvincetown, Wellfleet, Truro, Eastham, Orleans
- coastal seasNorth Sea, Baltic Sea, English Channel, Bay of Biscay, Bay of Fundy
- Florida WetlandsEverglades, cypress swamps, cypress swamp, mangroves, sloughs
right whalesorcas
Large predatory dolphins
killer whales · great white sharks · apex predators · sperm whales · dolphins
right whalesorcas
Large predatory dolphins
sperm whales · dolphins · fin whales · blue whales · porpoises
right, whale, rights, whales, rightly, rightness, rightful, rightfully, whaling