Noel Ashton
A comparative chart for the Southern Right, Humpback and Bryde s Whales Southern Right Whale Eubalaena australis Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Bryde s Whale Balaenoptera edeni 8 8
BLOW TAIL FLUKES FLIPPERS HEAD Seldom seen Seldom seen Southern Right Whale Humpback Whale Bryde s Whale The Whales of Walker Bay a n a t u r a l i s t s s t o r y 8 9
The IFAW Whale Walk Whale and dolphin signage boards along the cliff path in Hermanus Whales and dolphins are not the easiest animals to paint, as not only are they extremely difficult to observe and study, but their bodies are made up of a range of complex curves that differ significantly between species. When the paintings are intended for display along the IFAW Whale Walk on the cliff path in Hermanus, the paintings seem to become that much more challenging, especially as hundreds of thousands of people will be viewing them. The effort and time that eventually went into this project was significant, but I felt that it was worth all the effort, as this is an extremely important and relevant conservation initia- tive, and it therefore had my total support right from the onset. My feeling is that with the privilege of being custodian of arguably one of the world s best landbased whale-watching areas, comes the responsibility of raising awareness around these magnificent mammals, which although protected whilst in South African waters, still face serious threats during their annual migrations. The incredible value and significant impact that an education and awareness programme can have if combined with the experience of whale watching, has made this an extremely important initiative, and one which I am very proud to be a part of. The Whales of Walker Bay a n a t u r a l i s t s s t o r y 9 3
From left: Noel and Belinda Ashton, Mayor Theo Beyleveldt, David Beattie, IFAW s Jason Bell-Leask and the Whale Crier The launch of the IFAW Whale Walk On a beautiful autumn morning in May 2006, the International Fund for Animal Welfare launched the IFAW Whale Walk in Hermanus, with an opening address by the Overberg Mayor Theo Beyleveldt and the loud calls of the Whale Crier s kelp horn. Earlier that day, the first whale of the season was seen moving along the coast, as if to welcome the boards and their important conservation message. As part of their global whale conservation campaign, IFAW have positioned these informative boards along the cliff path, offering the viewer a better understanding of whales and dolphins and their worldwide conservation needs. 9 4
The Southern Right Whale E u b a l a e n a a u s t r a l i s Following ancient pathways, the Southern Right Whales return to our shores each year, their V-shaped blows punctuating the air as they enter the bay from the south at the end of their annual migration. For six months they will spend time in one of the world s most important ocean nurseries, rearing calves in the shallow, sheltering waters of the Walker Bay Sanctuary. The Whales of Walker Bay a n a t u r a l i s t s s t o r y 4 1
notice the lack of a dorsal fin blowhole a narrow rostrum bonnet notch in the tail the body is large and round with predominantly black colouration the tail flukes are dark on both the upper and undersides white ventral patches on the underbelly eye a square shaped flipper a significantly arched mouth off-white callosities Scientific name Eubalaena australis (this is taken from eu meaning right in Greek, balaena meaning whale in Latin and australis which means southern in Latin Group size This varies from 1 to 4 individuals, with larger groups congregating during mating Birth weight Approximately 900kg Birth length At birth, calves vary between 4 to 7m Adult weight Approximately 50 tons Adult length Up to 17m in females; the males are slightly smaller The Whales of Walker Bay a n a t u r a l i s t s s t o r y 5 1
Identifying Southern Right Whales : what to look out for A Southern Right Whale can be identified by the light-brown to off-white callosity patterning on its head and the noticeable lack of a dorsal fin. Look out for a distinctive V- shaped blow which can measure up to 4 metres high. Being a baleen whale, the blow is emitted from two blowholes. The flippers are broad and paddle-shaped, and are often visible above the surface. They are dark in colouration on both the upper and undersides. 5 2
Spyhopping Whales are at times observed standing vertically in the water with their heads protruding above the surface, far enough out of the water so that they are able to look around. This behaviour, known as spyhopping, is observed fairly frequently in whales and, as they at times rotate their heads, it is assumed that they are using this opportunity to possibly orientate themselves and to look around above the water surface. The Whales of Walker Bay a n a t u r a l i s t s s t o r y 5 7
Breaching Breaching is the most impressive of the whale behaviours to be seen in Walker Bay, and is possibly a form of communication, or dead skin and parasite shedding. Breaching evokes a sense of joy and play, and this might be the simple explanation for this extraordinary behaviour. 6 4