Few studies have examined systematic relationships of right whales ( Eubalaena spp.) since the original species descriptions, even though they are one of the most endangered large whales. Little morphological evidence exists to support the current species designations for Eubalaena glacialis in the northern hemisphere and E. australis in the southern hemisphere. Differences in migratory behaviour or antitropical distribution b...

A bstract Approximately one third of the North Atlantic right whale population has white ventral skin patches. Most white‐marked animals have both a belly and a chin patch, and the distribution of white pigment suggests that the patches represent a single ventral marking that varies in size and location. Population frequencies and cow‐calf inheritance patterns indicate that the white mark is an autosomal recessive trait. There...