Antarctic Whales

There are ten species of whale found in Antarctic waters.

Some stay near Antarctica year-round, while others migrate between northern breeding grounds and southern feeding grounds.

Migratory whales swim thousands of miles to feast on the abundant marine life around Antarctica.

Read on to find out more about whales in Antarctica.

Introduction

Baleen whales

Toothed whales

Conservation

Challenges

Humpbacks feeding — Humpback whales feeding

The Southern Ocean is the Earth’s largest feeding ground for marine mammals.

Each summer a combination of cold, oxygen-rich water and powerful ocean currents gives rise to intense flurries of life. Powered by nearly 24 hours of sunlight each day, microscopic marine plants bloom in such large numbers they can be seen from space. These plants, called phytoplankton, attract swarms of tiny marine life called zooplankton, that feed on them.

The result is one of the largest, most dense concentrations of life on the planet.

It is this banquet that attracts the world’s largest whales to Antarctic waters. Many swim thousands of miles each year to dine on the riches provided by the Southern Ocean.

Humpback whales filter their food using long sheets of keratin called baleen.

Humpback whale underwater — Humpback whales are a type of baleen whale.

Orca (killer whales) are toothed whales.

There are two types of whales in the Southern Ocean: baleen whales and toothed whales.

The main differences between them are their size, what they eat and how they feed.

Read on to find out more.

ANTARCTIC WHALES

Baleen whales

There are 15 baleen whale species on Earth, six of which spend time in Antarctic waters. Learn more below.

Baleen whales

Baleen whales are the largest whales in the world, and they have a unique method of feeding. They drift, swim and lunge through the water, scooping up mouthfuls of water mixed with Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), copepods, small fish, and squid. Once their mouths are full they filter out the food and expel the water through their baleen, flexible plates of keratin which hang from their top jaw and work a bit like a sieve.

The blue whale is the largest animal ever to have lived on earth. The longest blue whale ever measured was longer than a basketball court.

ANTARCTIC WHALES

Toothed whales

There are 77 toothed whale species on the planet. Four of these spend time in the Southern Ocean: orca (killer whales), sperm whales, bottlenose whales and Arnoux’s beaked whale. Learn more below.

Killer Whale

Orcinus orca

There are five ‘types’ of killer whale in the Southern Ocean, each with a distinct preferred diet and habitat.

Scientific name: Orcinus orca.

Average length: Female – 23 feet (7 meters); Male – 27 feet (8.2 meters).

Average weight: Female – 5,500 pounds (2,500 kg); Male – 10,000 pounds (4500 kg).

Average lifespan in the wild: Female – 50-90 years; Male – 30-60 years.

IUCN Red List status: Data deficient (2017).

There are five known ‘ecotypes’ of killer whales in the Southern Ocean. Their habitats overlap but their diets differ, and they do not socialize or breed across types.

Killer whale Type A

Preferred diet: minke whales

Killer whale Type B1

Type B1 whales are slightly larger than Type B2, but generally smaller than Type A. They tend to feed on seals and travel in small groups close to the ice edge.

Killer whale Type B2

Type B2 whales generally travel in larger groups than B1 whales, and feed on a wider range of prey including penguins, fish and some seals.

Killer whale Type C

Type C whales live mostly around the Ross Sea and feed predominantly on fish, for example Antarctic toothfish.

Killer whale Type D

Type D whales are found primarily in subantarctic waters north of the Antarctic Convergence, from New Zealand to Chile. Their primary food source is thought to be Patagonian toothfish.

Source: Foote & others, 2023; Pitman & others, 2019;

Sperm Whale

Physeter macrocephalus

Sperm whales are the largest toothed whale, and can dive to depths of 1.9 miles (3000 meters) foraging for giant squid. Only male sperm whales are found in Antarctica.

Scientific name: Physeter macrocephalus.

Average length: Female – 36 feet (11 meters); Male – 52 feet (16 meters).

Average weight: Female – 15 tons; Male – 45 tons

Average lifespan in the wild: 70 years

IUCN Red List status: Vulnerable, population trend unknown (2008).

Arnoux’s beaked Whale Credit: Jörg Mazur

Southern fourtooth / Arnoux’s beaked Whale

Berardius arnuxii

Very little is known about the behavior, habits and life cycle of these extremely rare whales, which are seldom spotted alive.

Scientific name: Berardius arnuxii.

Common names: Arnoux’s beaked whale; southern four-toothed whale; southern beaked whale; New Zealand beaked whale; southern giant bottlenose whale and southern porpoise whale.

Average length: Female – 34 feet (10.3 meters); Male – 31 feet (9.5 meters).

Average weight: 20,000 pounds (9,000 kilograms).

Average lifespan in the wild: Female – 54 years; Male – 84 years.

IUCN Red List status: Least concern, population trend unknown (2020).

Image credit: Jörg Mazur

Southern Bottlenose Whale

Hyperoodon planifrons

Found across the Southern Ocean from the Antarctic to the southern coasts of Australia, South Africa and South America, southern bottlenose whales are rarely sighted by humans.

Scientific name: Hyperoodon planifrons.

Average length: 22 feet (7 meters).

Average weight: 6,600 pounds (3,000 kilograms).

Average lifespan in the wild: Females – 37 years; Males – 50 years.

IUCN Red List status: Least concern; population trend unknown (2020).

ANTARCTIC WHALES

Did you know?

It is possible to identify whales by their dorsal fin (the fin on their back), and their blow (the mixture of air and water they release when they exhale).

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The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)

CCAMLR is the intergovernmental organization charged with regulating fisheries and conserving marine ecosystems in the Antarctic.

Despite the remoteness and harsh weather conditions often experienced in the Southern Ocean, there is growing commercial interest in Antarctic fisheries. Antarctic krill, an important food source for many Antarctic creatures, is used in fish food and human dietary supplements, and Antarctic fish are becoming more attractive as fish populations in other oceans become depleted.

Many Antarctic whales expend huge amounts of energy migrating to feed in the Southern Ocean each year. By regulating fisheries and conserving ecosystems, CCAMLR plays a vital role in ensuring that their travels are rewarded, and that their populations continue to recover from the impacts of commercial whaling.

Learn more about CCAMLR.

Marine protected areas (MPAs)

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are scientifically proven to be the most effective way to limit damage caused by human activities and support vibrant, healthy marine ecosystems.

MPAs in the Southern Ocean are vital not only for whales, but all animals living in the Antarctic.

CCAMLR is responsible for designating and regulating MPAs in the Southern Ocean. In 2009, all CCAMLR Members made a formal agreement to realize a network of MPAs, which represent the ecological diversity of the Southern Ocean, by 2012. Despite the efforts of many Members and overwhelming scientific evidence to support the establishment of new Antarctic MPAs, only 5% of the Southern Ocean is fully protected.

For the conservation potential of MPAs to be realized CCAMLR must make good on their commitment. Identifying critical habitat and designating marine protected areas (MPAs) in the region will help to ensure that fisheries are effectively managed, and protect whales, dolphins and other marine life.

ASOC advocates strongly for a representative network of MPAs in the Southern Ocean, starting with existing proposals in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea, and the Antarctic Peninsula.

Learn more about our ongoing campaign for Antarctic Marine Protected Areas.

Read ASOC policy papers and reports to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

International Whaling Commission (IWC)

Whales in Antarctic waters are protected by international law, with a commercial catch limit of zero on all Antarctic whales.

Recognising that whale populations had been decimated by commercial hunting, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) introduced an indefinite pause on all commercial whaling in 1982. This continues today, and is often referred to as a ‘moratorium’ on whaling.

Despite the moratorium, some nations continued to hunt whales in the Southern Ocean under the auspices of ‘scientific research’. Learn more about whaling in the Southern Ocean.

Visit the IWC website.

Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary (SOWS)

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) established the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary (SOWS) in 1994, to protect the summer feeding grounds of 80-90% of the world’s whales.

The Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary (SOWS) is one of only two sanctuaries designated by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), where commercial whaling is prohibited.

In 2009 the IWC created the Southern Ocean Research Partnership (IWC-SORP), a research program to monitor (mostly baleen) whale populations in the SOWS, identify new threats, and support conservation outcomes for whales in the Southern Ocean.

This was followed in 2018 by the development of a management plan to measure the impact of the Sanctuary. The plan outlines key conservation outcomes, and the scientific criteria against which to assess them. This process is supported by data from the Southern Ocean Research Partnership, and reviewed by the Scientific Committee at regular meetings.

ANTARCTIC WHALES

Did you know?

Whales play an important role in the ‘biological carbon pump’, which transfers carbon from the atmosphere to the ocean.

A single whale can contain up to 33 tons of carbon, which remains on the seafloor for centuries after they die. Nutrients from their feces help fertilize the ocean and promote the growth of phytoplankton, which themselves absorb carbon.

Source: Pearson and others, 2022.

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Abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), otherwise known as ‘Ghost Gear’, poses a threat to whales globally.

Microplastics have been detected in the blubber and tissues of whales, and a study has found that whales, particularly filter-feeding baleen whales, may be at ‘extreme risk’ of ingesting microplastics while foraging.

Sound is a vital sense for whales. Toothed whales use echolocation to locate food and navigate, and baleen whales can communicate with one another over vast distances using vocalizations.

ANTARCTIC WHALES

You can help

ASOC has been working to protect Southern Ocean ecosystems for over 40 years.

Join us today as we continue to lead the international conservation community in this important work.

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Cropped_whale in Antarctic waters — Whale in Antarctic waters

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There are ten species of whale found in Antarctic waters.

Some stay near Antarctica year-round, while others migrate between northern breeding grounds and southern feeding grounds.

Migratory whales swim thousands of miles to feast on the abundant marine life around Antarctica.

Read on to find out more about whales in Antarctica.