Southern Right Whale

 _{Southern right whales are the gentle giants of the ocean. They are a popular species for whale watching across southern Australia, and there is nothing more special than seeing one of these beautiful creatures with your bare eyes.}  

 _{Tragically, they gained the name “right” whale as they were the whales that were “right” to hunt due to the near-shore waters that they occupy during breeding. This nearly caused the species to become extinct, however, now that they have had a chance to recover, their populations have improved in numbers.} 

 _{This factsheet is part of the University of Adelaide's Fab Five project, focused on raising awareness of five fabulous species and the marine parks that help protect them. This 'Our Marine Parks Grants' project received grant funding from the Australian Government.} 

1. Stamation, K., et al., Population estimate and rate of increase of southern right whales Eubalaena australis in southeastern Australia. Endangered Species Research, 2020. 41.

2. Carroll, E., et al., Population structure and individual movement of southern right whales around New Zealand and Australia. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2011. 432: p. 257-268.

3. Department of Sustainability, E., Water, Population and Communities, Conservation Management Plan for the Southern Right Whale: A Recovery Plan under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 2011-2021. 2012.

4. Bannister, J., Status of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) off Australia. J. Cetacean Res. Manage., 2020: p. 103-110.

5. Charlton, C., et al., Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis), seasonal abundance and distribution at Head of Bight, South Australia. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 2019. 29(4): p. 576-588.

6. Charlton, C., et al., Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) return to a former wintering calving ground: Fowlers Bay, South Australia. Marine Mammal Science, 2019. 35(4): p. 1438-1462.

7. Burnell, S.R., Aspects of the reproductive biology, movements and site fidelity of right whales off Australia. J. Cetacean Res. Manage., 2020: p. 89-102.

8. Seyboth, E., et al., Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) Reproductive Success is Influenced by Krill (Euphausia superba) Density and Climate. Scientific reports, 2016. 6: p. 28205-28205.