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Pygmy right whale
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{{Short description|Species of mammal}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}} {{Speciesbox | fossil_range = {{Fossil range|6.2|0}} <small>[[Late Miocene]] β Recent</small><ref name=Miocene/> | name = Pygmy right whale<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Cetacea |id=14300033}}</ref> | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Cooke, J.G. |date=2018 |title=''Caperea marginata'' |volume=2018 |page=e.T3778A50351626 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T3778A50351626.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> | status2 = CITES_A1 | status2_system = CITES | status2_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref> | image = Pygmy right whale.png | image2 = Pygmy right whale size.svg | image_caption = Pygmy right whale off the coast of southern [[Australia]] | image2_caption = Size compared to an average human | display_parents = 2 | grandparent_authority= ([[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1873) | parent_authority = Gray, 1864 | genus = Caperea | species = marginata | authority = (Gray, 1846) | range_map = Cetacea range map Pygmy Right Whale.png | range_map_caption = Pygmy right whale range }} The '''pygmy right whale''' ('''''Caperea marginata''''') is a species of [[baleen whale]]. It may be a member of the [[cetothere]]s,<ref name=Fordyce2013>{{cite journal |last1=Fordyce |first1=R. E. |last2=Marx |first2=F. G. |title=The pygmy right whale ''Caperea marginata'': the last of the cetotheres |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |year=2013 |volume=280 |issue=1753 |pages= 1β6 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2012.2645 |pmid=23256199 |pmc=3574355}}</ref> a family of baleen whales which until 2012 were thought to be [[extinct]]; ''C. marginata'' has otherwise been considered the [[monotypic taxon|sole member]] of the [[family (biology)|family]] '''Neobalaenidae'''<ref name=Kemper>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals|author=Kemper, Catherine|chapter=Pygmy Right Whale|editor1=Perrin, W. |editor2=Wursig, B. |editor3=Thewissen, J. |pages=939β41|publisher=Academic Press|year=2008}}</ref> and is the only member of the genus '''''Caperea'''''. First described by [[John Edward Gray]] in 1846, it is the smallest of the [[baleen whales]], ranging between {{convert|6|and|6.5|m|ft}} in length and {{convert|3000|and|3500|kg|lb|-1}} in mass. Despite its name, the pygmy right whale may have more in common with the [[gray whale]] and [[rorqual]]s than the [[bowhead whale|bowhead]] and [[right whale]]s.<ref name=Kemper/> The pygmy right whale is found in temperate waters of the [[Southern Hemisphere]], and feeds on [[copepod]]s and [[euphausiid]]s. Little is known about its population or social habits. Unlike most other baleen whales, it has rarely been subject to exploitation. == Taxonomy == [[File:Caperea marginata MNHN.png|thumb|left|Skull at the [[National Museum of Natural History, France]]]] During the 1839-45 voyage of [[James Clark Ross]], naturalists found bones and baleen plates resembling a smaller version of the [[right whale]]. In his ''Zoology of the Voyage of HMS Erebus and Terror'' (1846), [[John Edward Gray]] described the new species, naming it ''Balaena marginata''. In 1864, Gray established a new genus (''Caperea'') after receiving a skull and some bones of another specimen. Six years later, in 1870, he added the name ''Neobalaena''. He soon realized the three species were one and the same: ''Caperea marginata''<ref>Cousteau, Jacques, ''Whales'' (1986), p. 70.</ref> (''caperea'' means "wrinkle" in Latin, "referring to the wrinkled appearance of the ear bone"; while ''marginata'' translates to "enclosed with a border", which "refers to the dark border around the baleen plates of some individuals").<ref>Reeves, Randall, ''Guide to Marine Mammals of the World'' (2002), p. 202.</ref> In research findings published on 18 December 2012, paleontologist Felix Marx compared the skull bones of pygmy right whales to those of extinct cetaceans, finding it to be a close relative to the [[Cetotheriidae]], making the pygmy right whale a [[living fossil]].<ref name=Fordyce2013/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/1219/Extinct-whale-found-Odd-looking-pygmy-whale-traced-back-2-million-years |title='Extinct' whale found: Odd-looking pygmy whale traced back 2 million years |publisher=CSMonitor.com |date=23 April 2012 |access-date=19 December 2012}}</ref> A 2023 study using [[genomic DNA]] confirmed that pygmy right whales are more closely related to [[rorqual]]s than to balaenid right whales, consistent with a close relationship with the cetotheres.<ref name=Dutoit2023>{{cite journal |last1= Dutoit |first1= L. |last2= Mitchell |first2= K.J. |display-authors=etal |date= July 2023 |title= Convergent evolution of skim feeding in baleen whales |journal= Marine Mammal Science |volume= 39 |issue= 4 |pages= 1337β1343 |doi= 10.1111/mms.13047|doi-access= free |bibcode= 2023MMamS..39.1337D }}</ref> In 2012, Italian palaeontologist Michelangelo Bisconti described ''[[Miocaperea pulchra]]'', a first fossil pygmy right whale from Peru. This new genus differs from the living genus in some cranial details, but Bisconti's study confirmed the monophyly of the Neobalaenidae and he concluded that the rorqual-like features in ''C. marginata'' must be the result of parallel evolution. The presence of a fossil neobalaenid some {{Convert|2000|km|abbr=on}} north of the known range of ''C. marginata'', suggests that environmental change has caused a southern shift in neobalaenid distribution.<ref>{{Cite journal | last = Bisconti | first = M. | title = Comparative osteology and phylogenetic relationships of ''Miocaperea pulchra'', the first fossil pygmy right whale genus and species (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Neobalaenidae) | year = 2012 | journal = Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society | volume = 166 | issue = 4 | pages = 876β911 | doi = 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00862.x| doi-access = free }}</ref> A second, undescribed species was tentatively assigned to Neobalaenidae in 2012.<ref name=Fitzgerald2012>{{cite journal|last1=Fitzgerald|first1=Erich M. G.|title=Possible neobalaenid from the Miocene of Australia implies a long evolutionary history for the pygmy right whale ''Caperea marginata'' (Cetacea, Mysticeti)|journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology|date=2012|volume=32|issue=4|pages=976β980|doi=10.1080/02724634.2012.669803|bibcode=2012JVPal..32..976F |s2cid=83784488}}</ref> A fossil from the [[Messinian]] age ([[Late Miocene]]) about 6.2 to 5.4 million years ago has been identified as ''Caperea'' sp. in 2018.<ref name=Miocene>{{cite journal|title= A Miocene pygmy right whale fossil from Australia| year=2018| doi=10.7717/peerj.5025| last1=Marx| first1=Felix G.| last2=Park| first2=Travis| last3=Fitzgerald| first3=Erich M.G.| last4=Evans| first4=Alistair R.| journal=PeerJ| volume=6| pages=e5025| pmid=29942692| pmc=6016540| doi-access=free}}</ref> == Description == [[File:Caperea marginata 3.jpg|thumb|Artist's impression of a pygmy right whale]] The pygmy right whale is rarely encountered and consequently little studied. However, it is known that it is by far the smallest of the baleen whales. Calves are estimated to be about {{convert|1.6|m}} to {{convert|2.2|m}} at birth<ref name=Klinowska>{{cite book |last=Klinowska |first=M. |title = Dolphins, Porpoises and Whales of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book |publisher=IUCN |year=1991 |location=Cambridge, U.K.}}</ref> (an approximately {{convert|2|m}} fetus was reported from a {{convert|6|m}} female that had stranded in Perkins Bay, Tasmania, in 1982<ref name=Munday1982>{{cite journal |last1=Munday |first1=B. L. |last2=Green |first2=R. H. |last3=Obendorf |first3=D. L. |title=A pygmy right whale ''Caperea marginata'' (Grey, 1846) stranded at Stanley, Tasmania |journal=Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania |date=1982 |volume=116 |pages=1β4 |doi=10.26749/rstpp.116.1|doi-access=free}}</ref>). By the time they are weaned, they may be about {{convert|3|to|3.5|m|ft}} long. It is believed they become sexually mature at about {{convert|5|m}} and physically mature at about {{convert|6|m}}.<ref name=Kemper/> The longest male registered, was a {{convert|6.1|m}} individual which had stranded in [[Cloudy Bay (Tasmania)|Cloudy Bay, Tasmania]],<ref name=Mead>{{cite book |last=Mead |first=James G. and Joy P. Gold |title=Whales and Dolphins In Question: the Smithsonian Answer Book |publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press |year=2002 |location=Washington D.C.}}</ref> while the longest female was a {{convert|6.45|m}} individual which had stranded in [[Stanley, Tasmania]] in 1981.<ref name=Munday1982/> Pygmy right whales can weigh as much as {{convert|3430|kg|lb}}.<ref name=Kemper/> A {{convert|6.21|m}} female weighed {{convert|3200|kg|lb}} and a {{convert|5.47|m}} male weighed {{convert|2850|kg|lb}}.<ref name=Nowak>{{cite book |last=Nowak |first=Ronald M. |title=Walker's Mammals of the World |url=https://archive.org/details/walkersmammalsof0001nowa |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |year=1999 |location=Baltimore}}</ref> Gestation and lactation periods and longevity are all unknown. Part of the reason for the scarcity of data may be the relative inactivity of the whale, making location for study difficult. The blow is small and indistinct and the whale is usually a slow undulating swimmer, although capable of bursts of acceleration.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} The coloring and shape of the pygmy right whale, dark gray dorsally and lighter gray ventrally, commonly with a pair of chevron-shaped lighter patches behind the eyes, is similar to that of the [[dwarf minke whale|dwarf minke]] and [[Antarctic minke whale]]s and at sea the species may easily be confused with these two species, in case the jaw and flippers are not carefully observed. The arched jawline is not as pronounced as other [[right whale]]s and may not be sufficient to distinguish a pygmy right whale from a minke whale. The long, narrow cream-coloured baleen plates with a distinctive white gumline are the most effective discriminators. Unlike true right whales, pygmy rights do not have [[callosity|callosities]]. The [[dorsal fin]] is falcate (crescent-shaped) and located about three-quarters of the way along the back of the animal. Unlike the minke whales, occasionally the dorsal will not be seen on the whale surfacing. Like the minkes, though, it doesn't raise its [[fluke (tail)|flukes]] when it dives.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} The skull and skeleton of the pygmy right whale is unlike those of any other extant whale: the [[supraoccipital shield]] extends farther posteriorly; the [[Petrous part of the temporal bone|ear bone]] has a lateral wrinkle and is roughly square in outline. All seven cervical vertebrae are fused, and the pygmy right has only 44 vertebrae. The 18 pairs of ribs are broad and flat, and make up 39β45% of the vertebral column (compared to 33% in other mysticetes).<ref name=Kemper /><ref name="Naish-pouch">{{Cite web |last=Naish |first=Dairen |date=October 2010 |title=Pouches, pockets and sacs in the heads, necks and chests of mammals, part III: baleen whales |url=http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2010/10/18/baleen-whale-laryngeal-sac/ |access-date=31 December 2013}}</ref> Each thoracic vertebrae has a pair of huge wing-like transverse processes, many of which overlap. The dorsal end of the ribs are remarkably thin and almost fail to make contact with the transverse processes. The reduced tail (or sacrocaudal region) features a vestigial pelvis and small chevron bones.<ref name="Naish-weird">{{Cite journal |last=Naish |first=Darren |date=October 2010 |title=Did I mention that ''Caperea'' is really, really weird? |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=150 |issue=4 |pages=875β894 |url=http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2010/10/20/caperea-is-really-weird/ |access-date=31 December 2013|doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00313.x |doi-access=free }}</ref> The flippers have four digits. The lungs and heart are relatively small, which suggests that the pygmy right whale is not a deep diver. The larynx is reported to be different from any other cetacean.<ref name=Kemper /> Like other mysticetes, the pygmy right whale has a large [[Laryngeal pouch|laryngeal sac]], but in contrast to other mysticetes, this sac is positioned on the right side of the midline in the pygmy right. The presence of this laryngeal sac can possibly be the explanation for the long thorax and flattened ribs, but the peculiar ribs have led to multiple speculations as to their origin.<ref name="Naish-pouch" /> == Behavior and ecology == Analysis of the stomach contents of dead pygmy right whales indicates that it feeds on [[copepod]]s and [[euphausiid]]s (krill). The social and mating structures are unknown. The whale is typically seen alone or in pairs, sometimes associated with other cetaceans (including dolphins, [[Long-finned pilot whale|pilot whale]]s, [[minke whale]]s, and once a [[sei whale]] cow and calf).<ref name=Kemper/><ref name=Klinowska/><ref name=Shirihai>{{cite book|title=Whales, Dolphins and Other Marine Mammals of the World|author1=Shirihai, H. |author2=Jarrett, B. |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Princeton Field Guides|year=2006|pages=43β45|isbn=978-0-69112757-6}}</ref> Occasionally larger groups are seen β in 2001 a group of 14 were seen at [[46th parallel south|46Β°S]] in the South Pacific about 450 km southeast of New Zealand, while in 1992 a group of about 80 individuals were seen {{convert|320|nmi|km}} southwest of [[Cape Leeuwin]]<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> and another group of over 100 individuals were sighted in June 2007 about {{convert|40|km|mi}} southwest of [[Portland, Victoria]].<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Caperea Alive! |journal=Mammal Review |volume=38 |pages=50β86 |year=2010 |url=http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2010/11/08/caperea-alive/ |access-date=30 September 2013|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2907.2008.00118.x |last1=Ford |first1=John K. B. |last2=Reeves |first2=Randall R. |bibcode=2008MamRv..38...50F |citeseerx=10.1.1.573.6671 }}</ref><ref name=Gill2008>{{cite journal |last1=Gill |first1=P. C. |last2=Kemper |first2=C. M. |last3=Talbot |first3=M. |last4=Lydon |first4=S. A. |year=2008 |title=Large group of pygmy right whales seen in a shelf upwelling region off Victoria, Australia |doi=10.1111/j.1748-7692.2008.00220.x |journal=Marine Mammal Science |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=962β968|bibcode=2008MMamS..24..962G }}</ref> The flukes, [[blubber]], and baleen plates of a pygmy right whale calf were found in a 7.47 m (24.5 ft) [[killer whale]] caught by whalers off South Africa.<ref>Best, P.B., A. Meyer, and C. Lockyer. 2010. "Killer whales in South African waters β a review of their biology". ''African Journal of Marine Science'' '''32''':171-186.</ref> == Population and distribution == The pygmy right whale is among the least studied cetaceans; until 2008, fewer than 25 sightings of the species had been made at sea.<ref name=Kemper/> The species lives in the Southern Hemisphere and is believed to be [[wikt:circumpolar|circumpolar]], living in a band from about [[30th parallel south|30Β°S]] to [[55th parallel south|55Β°S]]<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> in areas with surface water temperatures between {{convert|5|and|20|C|F}}.<ref name=Shirihai/> Individuals have been found on the coasts of [[Chile]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cabrera |first1=E. |last2=Carlson |first2=C. |last3=Galletti |first3=V.M.B. |last4=Cardenas |first4=J.C. |last5=Brownell Jr. |first5=R.L. |year=2005 |title=A pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata) from Chiloe Island, Chile |publisher=SC/57/O20}}</ref> [[Tierra del Fuego]], [[Namibia]], [[South Africa]], [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]]. One group may be a year-round resident off [[Tasmania]].<ref name=Shirihai/> The total population is unknown. There is an extralimital stranding record in the Northern Hemisphere.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Cheng-Hsiu |last1=Tsai |first2=James G. |last2=Mead |year=2018 |doi=10.1186/s40851-018-0117-8 |title=Crossing the equator: a northern occurrence of the pygmy right whale |journal=Zoological Letters |volume=4 |issue=30|page=30 |pmid=30574356 |pmc=6296048 |doi-access=free }}</ref> == Whaling and whale-watching == On account of its relatively small size and sparse distribution, the pygmy right whale has rarely been taken by whalers. A {{convert|3.39|m}} male was taken off South Africa in 1917,<ref name=Best1986>{{cite journal |last1=Best |first1=P. B. |last2=Ross |first2=G. J. |year=1986 |title=Catches of right whales from shore-based establishments in southern Africa, 1792-1975 |journal=Reports of the International Whaling Commission |volume=10 |pages=275β289}}</ref> and a couple were caught for scientific purposes by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] whalers in the [[South Atlantic Ocean|South Atlantic]] in 1970.<ref>Cousteau, J. T. and Y. Paccalet. 1988. ''Whales''. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, p. 169.</ref> Also a few pygmy right whales are known to have been caught in fishing nets. These factors are not believed to have had a significant impact on the population.{{fact|date=March 2025}} Most data about pygmy right whales come from individual specimens washed up on coastlines; they are rarely encountered at sea and so they are not the primary subject of any [[whale watching]] cruises.{{fact|date=March 2025}} == Conservation == The pygmy right whale is listed on Appendix II <ref name="Appendices">"[http://www.cms.int/documents/appendix/Appendices_COP9_E.pdf Appendix II] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611112003/http://www.cms.int/documents/appendix/Appendices_COP9_E.pdf |date=11 June 2011 }}" of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). As amended by the Conference of the Parties in 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2008. Effective: 5 March 2009.</ref> of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). It is listed on Appendix II,<ref name="Appendices"/> as it has an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements. The pygmy right whale is also covered by Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region ([[Pacific Islands Cetaceans Memorandum of Understanding|Pacific Cetaceans MOU]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pacificcetaceans.org/ |title=CMS Pacific Cetaceans MOU for Cetaceans and their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region }}</ref> ==See also== * [[List of cetaceans]] == References == {{Reflist|30em}} == Further reading == * ''Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals'', Perrin Wursig and Thewissen (eds). {{ISBN|0-12-551340-2}} * ''Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises'', Mark Carwardine. {{ISBN|0-7513-2781-6}} * ''National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World''. {{ISBN|0-375-41141-0}} == External links == {{Commons category|Caperea marginata}} {{Wikispecies|Caperea marginata}} * {{Cite web |last=Reidenberg |first=Bruce |title=What are we looking for in the throat? Dissection of a stranded pygmy right whale |url=http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2008/05/06/what-are-we-looking-for-in-the-throat/ |date=May 2008 |access-date=30 November 2013}} {{Cetacea|M.}} {{Mysticeti Genera|M.|state=collapsed}} {{Portal bar|Cetaceans|Mammals|Animals|Biology|Marine Life}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q189615}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:pygmy right whale}} [[Category:Cetotheriidae]] [[Category:Cetaceans of the Pacific Ocean]] [[Category:Mammals described in 1846]] [[Category:Taxa named by John Edward Gray]]
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