Southern Right Whale | Eubalaena australis

The Southern Right Whale is a very large, enormous, and massive whale with a slow and floating swimming style. This type of whale lives in the oceans of the southern hemisphere and is the only large whale without a dorsal fin. It is usually predominantly black in color, with white spots randomly distributed on its belly and, rarely, on its back.
However, there are some specimens (five percent of southern right whales) that are born white due to a condition known as gray morphism. However, as they age, even these whales gradually become dark.
The number of southern right whales was decimated in the 1800s and 1900s due to whaling, and for this reason, the species has been classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and as critically endangered under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Technique: Watercolor on cotton paper

Year: 2025

Client: Marine mammals of the southern hemisphere collection – for touristic guide cetaceans identification in the Antarctic region