The right
whales (Eubalaena spp.) are baleen whales with bow-shaped
lower jaw and a head that is up to one-quarter of the
body length. The head is hairier than most whales; up
to 300 hairs are found on the tip of the lower jaw and
100 are on the upper jaw. There are also callosities
(a series of horny growths) behind the blowhole, on
the chin, above the eyes, on the lower lip, and on the
rostrum (the beak-like upper jaw). Right whales are
similar to bowhead whales, but smaller. These whales
are rich in blubber and have 2 blowholes. The eyes are
very small and lips are large. Right whales were named
by whalers who considered them the "right"
whales to hunt, since they were rich in blubber, they
were easy to catch (they are relatively slow swimmers)
and they floated after being killed.
