Eubalaena australis
Silhouette: Chris huh · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is a large baleen whale and one of three species of right whale belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Found throughout the Southern Hemisphere, it inhabits oceans between the latitudes of 20° and 60° south. Like its northern relatives, the southern right whale is noted by its broad back without a dorsal fin, a long, arching mouth, and white growths on its head known as callosities. Previously hunted for hundreds of years, almost to extinction, the species is now protected and its global population was estimated to be around 13,600 (2009).
Each year, the southern right whale migrates. During the summer months, it feeds on zooplankton and krill in the cold waters of the Southern Ocean, often near Antarctica. In the winter, it travels northward to the warmer coastal waters off Argentina, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, and New Zealand to breed and calve. The whales are known for their active behavior at the surface, which includes breaching and a unique practice called "tail sailing," where they use their flukes to catch the wind.
Historically, southern right whales were the primary target for whalers (thus the "right" whale to hunt), who killed tens of thousands from the 18th to the 20th century, decimating the population. International protection was established in 1937, though illegal whaling by the Soviet Union continued into the 1970s. Since cessation of industrialized whale slaughtering, the population has seen a steady increase, growing an estimated 7% per year. Today, the species is a focus for whale watching, though it continues to face threats from ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and pollution. Wikipedia →
Recording0:42
Argentina · 2024
© Matias Ian Popoff · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:09
Australia · 2023
© Bryce van der Heide · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Península Valdés | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Right Whale sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 26th most-seen of the 39 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, May–June and August–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Right Whale in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, July and December–February, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Right Whale sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Southern Right Whale sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Península Valdés (Argentina, about 80%), De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 60%) and Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same order: Cetacea
The closest relatives of the Southern Right Whale that you can see in Table Mountain National Park (order Cetacea) are Humpback Whale (about 10%) and Heaviside's Dolphin (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Right Whale is recorded against all the mammals logged in Table Mountain National Park (28 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
