Bodacious Dream Global Expedition

The Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) is a baleen whale, one of three species of right whale, the other two are the North Pacific Right Whale and the North Atlantic Right Whale both of which are critically endangered. Southern Right Whales are found throughout colder waters of the southern hemisphere usually feeding quite close to shore. The Right Whale is a very large, muscular whale weighing far more than other whales of a similar length.

Length around 60 ft (18 m)
Weight 60,0000-160,000 lb (27,000-72,000 kg)

Right whales feed on small prey such as copepods, fish larvae, and pteropods. Right whales feed using a technique called skim feeding. The whale swims slowly at the surface with its mouth open allowing the water to flow through its long fine baleen plates. As with much smaller filter feeders, any small prey in the water will become trapped in the baleen.

A conspicuous feature of all three species of Right Whale are the white patches, called callosities found on the head. These patches are formed by colonies of whale lice or cyamids. Each individual whale has a unique pattern of these callosities and researchers can tell one animal apart by photographing the head. less ↑

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a baleen whale. The humpback whale is found in every ocean. It spends the summer months feeding on small fish and plankton in high latitudes and then migrates towards the equator to breed and calve during the winter months.

Length 40-50 ft (12-16 m)
Weightaround 60,000 lb (27,000 kg)

The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins, up to 12 feet (4 meters), and a knobbly head. The bumps on the top of the head are called tubercles or stove bolts and it is actually an enlarged hair follicle. A single short stiff hair comes out of each tubercle and while scientists don't know the use of these hairs, they could help the animal feel water currents.

Humpback whales have unique patterns on the underside of their tail or fluke which scientists can use to tell one individual apart from another. Using these patterns scientists often name individual animals and can track their entire lives.

Humpback feed in many coastal areas which make them a favorite whale for whale watching. This is combined with their curios nature and there often acrobatic displays, often jumping out of the water or breaching and slapping their long flippers on the water.
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The Common Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is the smallest species of rorqual whale, one of the baleen whales. Minke whales are found throughout the world's oceans where they feed on plankton such as copepods and krill, and fish. Much less is known about the migrations, social behaviors, and life cycle of Minke whales compared to some of the larger whales.

Length 25-30 feet (7-10 m)
Weight 20,000-30,000 lbs (9,000-14,000 kg)

Minke whales typically have a splash of white on their pectoral fins visible in the photograph above which researchers take to calling "minke mittens". Minke whales are commonly sighted on whale watch tours as they frequent many of the same feeding areas as the other baleen whales. less ↑

The Sei Whale (pronounced SAY) (Balaenoptera borealis) is a baleen whale, the third-largest rorqual after the blue whale and the fin whale. It can be found worldwide in all oceans and adjoining seas, and prefers deep off-shore waters. The sei whale migrates annually from cool and subpolar waters in summer to temperate and subtropical waters for winter.

Length 60-70 feet (18-21 meters)
Weight 40,000-60,000 lb (18,000-27,000 kg)

The sei whale has a typical rorqual shape with a long torpedo shaped body. This allows these animals to reach very fast swimming speeds. Sei whales feed on small plankton in the water such as copepods and krill, unlike other rorqual whales, sei whales do not very deep and swim very close to the surface. It is possible to track their path under the water by the swirling "fluke prints" they leave behind.

The Sei whale looks very similar, and is closely related to the Bryde's whale, in fact for a long time it was believed they were one species. These two species can be told apart by the ridges that run from the blow hole to the snout, the Sei whale only has one while the Bryde's whale has three. less ↑

Bryde's Whale (Balaenoptera brydei) is a large rorqual whale, one of the baleen whales. Like other rorquals, Bryde's whales have a streamlined torpedo shaped body which allows them to reach high swimming speeds. Unlike other rorquals, and indeed most baleen whales, Bryde's whales prefer warmer temperate and tropical waters. Little is known about Bryde's whales.

Length 40-50 feet (12-15 m)
Weight 24,000-40,000 lb (10,000-18,000 kg)

Bryde's whales appear very similar to the Sei whale, and indeed until the 1970s they were considered to be the same species. The major feature distinguishing Bryde's from Sei whales is the three ridges running from the blow hole to the edge of the rostrum, opposed to the Sei whale's single ridge. less ↑

The Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is the second largest species of rorqual only smaller than a blue whale. The fin whale is not only the second largest type of whale, it is actually the second largest animal to ever exist on earth, only smaller than a blue whale. The fin whale has a very streamlined body which allows it to reach very high speed, earning it the name, the Greyhound of the Sea. Some of its other names are Finner, Finback, Razorback, and Common Rorqual.

Length 70-90 feet (21-24 m)
Weight 60,000-160,000 lb (27,000-72,000 kg)

The fin whale is found throughout the world's oceans though it migrates to areas of high productivity in the high latitudes in the search for small fish and squid during the summer months and then migrates to warmer waters in the winter. Little is known about the migrations and social structure of the fin whale.

Fin whales are the only asymmetrically colored mammal on earth with different coloration patterns on the right and left sides. In particular the lower right jaw is bright white; scientists believe the whale may use this flash of white to disorientate their prey. Fin whales also have a swirl of tan and grey pigment over their shoulder called the chevron which is unique to each animal and can be used to identify individuals. This patterning can be seen in the photograph above. less ↑

The Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest species of whale. It is a baleen whale, and more specifically a rorqual whale, related to other rorquals such as the fin whale and humpback whale. The Blue whale is not only the largest species of whale, it is also the largest animal that has ever existed on earth. Like other rorqual whales, blue whales have long pleats on the underside of the throat and a streamlined body which allows the blue whale to reach extremely high swimming speeds.

Length 70-100 feet (21-30m)
Weight 200,000-240,000 lb (90,000-108,000 kg)

Blue whales feed almost entirely on small crustaceans called krill. They are found throughout the world's oceans however their distribution and migrations are variable and much less well understood than other whales.

The Blue whale's scientific name was given to it by Carl Linnaeus, the divisor of the scientific naming scheme and the father of modern taxonomic. This scientific name means the "Flying Mouse Whale" which researchers think is meant to be a joke! less ↑