Other Interesting and Fascinating Facts:

· Southern right whales were one of the first species to be hunted. Between 1805 and 1844, an estimated 40000 to 45000 were killed.

· Right whales were named because when whaling started they were considered the "right" whale to hunt. This is because they are very slow (and therefore easy to approach), they live close to shore and float when they die. They provided large quantities of oil, meat and whalebone.

· Southern right whales came close to extinction but have been protected since 1937.

· Male right whales have the largest testes in the animal kingdom. Each pair weighs about 1 tonne, the same weight as a new-born right whale!