The Pygmy Whales are just another lovely specimen of baleen whales, which deserve all our attention. So, join us in this article to learn all about them.
Characteristics of the Pygmy Whales
Pigmy whales, are also known as right whales, and they are the smallest species of all whales. There are people who call them dwarf whales, and sometimes they are confused with the minke whale , since there are many similarities between them.
Regarding their main characteristics, we must point out that they have a really small head; compared to the size of the others whales. They have a dorsal ridge, and their mouth is arched, a feature that usually done a lot deeper over the years. (see article southern whales).
Following, we list some others interesting characteristics of these marine creatures:
- Their beards are usually of an ivory color,
- They have a very light gray color, even white in some occasions; which is extended from the jaw to the caudal fin. These tones make a nice contrast with their, head that is much darker.
- The silhouette of the pygmy right whale is much more elegant, than that of the right whale. Moreover, their dorsal fin is smaller than the one of the right whale, which makes them easy to be differentiated.
Few people know about the pigmy right whale, since it is usually confused with the right whale; therefore we listed their main characteristics in order to help any person, who wants to learn how to differentiate them.
Remember that all marine species are just lovely, and it´s always good to learn about them.
Behavior
As for the behavior of the pygmy whale, they are known for being very slow swimmers, compared to other whales. They tend to curve their body, while gradually moving towards the surface they want to reach. Then they last a few seconds on the surface, in order to breathe. As previously mentioned, it is a species that few people know about, since they are sighted in few occasions.. (see: article : endangered whales).
Pygmy Whales´ Habitat
Pigmy whales inhabit in the Southern Hemisphere, mostly in New Zealand and Africa, which makes difficult for scientists to identify exactly where the groups are, bad news for whale lovers. They are considered an endangered species , because of the effects of the global warming.
Moreover, a few years ago they were considered as an extinct species , by most scientists. Now, it´s known that there are still specimens of these whales, which belong to the group of baleen whales
As for their feeding, they usually eat small crustaceans. When they have been sighted, they tend to be alone or in pairs; only in few times they make up groups, of little more than 7 pygmy whales.
There is not enough information, about their reproductive behavior, due to the small population they have.
As it could be clearly mentioned throughout the article, it´s been quite difficult to study these whales, which were considered as extinct a few years ago.. However, there are many groups of whales´ lovers in the world that grab the opportunities when they see these whales, to get all the information about them. (see the article WhalesReproduction).
Finally, we leave this illustrative video for you…