Pygmy Right Whale: Neobalaenidae

There have been very few sightings of pygmy rights, so little is known about their behavior. They are often seen in pairs or pods of up to ten individuals, but there have been occasional sightings of groups as large as eighty. To communicate, pygmy right whales use intense thumps or tones, each quickly rising and slowly falling, as the frequency drops.

The pygmy right whale is a very slow swimmer. It often spends only a few seconds on the surface when it comes up for air, usually just sticking its snout out of the water. The longest recorded dive of a pygmy lasted only four minutes. This whale is not known to do any acrobatic leaps out of the water. It is rarely seen at sea.

Since so little is known about the pygmy whale, there is little information about the mating season, mating practices, or length of pregnancy. Calves are around 6.5 feet (2 meters) at birth. Many researchers believe that calving may take place year-round. Calves stop nursing when they are between 9 and 11.2 feet (3 and 3.5 meters) long. Sexual maturity (the ability to reproduce) is reached when the animals are about 16 to 20 feet (5 to 6 meters) in length. Their average lifespan has not been determined.