Look: Southern right whale bares its baleen as Dyer Island’s full cast shows up
Guests aboard a recent Marine Dynamics Whale Tours outing were given a sight the ocean doesn’t give up easily, as southern right whales opened their enormous mouths wide in a behaviour known as “gaping”, revealing rows of delicate baleen plates rarely seen in such detail Cape {town} Etc reports. The plates serve a precise purpose. ‘These plates act as a... Read more → The post Look: Southern right whale bares its baleen as Dyer Island’s full cast shows up appeared first on Cape Town ETC .
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Guests aboard a recent Marine Dynamics Whale Tours outing were given a sight the ocean doesn’t give up easily, as southern right whales opened their enormous mouths wide in a behaviour known as “gaping”, revealing rows of delicate baleen plates rarely seen in such detail Cape {town} Etc reports.
The plates serve a precise purpose. ‘These plates act as a natural filtering system. As water passes through them, tiny organisms are trapped and the water flows back out,’ Marine Dynamics explained.
Picture: Marine Dynamics / Supplied
The material itself carries its own surprise. ‘Their baleen is made of keratin, the same protein found in our hair and fingernails and remains an essential part of their anatomy even when they are not actively feeding,’ the tour operator noted.
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Picture: Marine Dynamics / Supplied
That last point matters, because feeding isn’t why these giants are here. Southern right whales visiting the south coast are primarily present to mate, give birth and nurse their calves, having made the long journey from their feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean on energy reserves stored in their thick blubber.
Dyer Island’s own line-up
Picture: Marine Dynamics / Supplied
The baleen display is only one act in a far busier show. The Dyer Island Ecosystem is home to an extraordinary cast of marine life beyond the whales, dolphins, including the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphin, sharks, Cape fur seals and the Critically Endangered African penguin.
Picture: Marine Dynamics / Supplied
‘Five very different candidates for your attention, but we think the ocean has a pretty compelling line-up,’ Marine Dynamics said of the ecosystem’s residents.
Picture: Marine Dynamics / Supplied
The sighting is also a reminder of what’s at stake. The Critically Endangered African penguin needs protection, and sharks face growing pressure from overfishing. Joining a Marine Dynamics Whale Watching or Marine Big 5 tour contributes directly to conservation through the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, which supports research, education and practical conservation work for the species sharing these waters.
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Picture: Marine Dynamics Whale Tours
The post Look: Southern right whale bares its baleen as Dyer Island’s full cast shows up appeared first on Cape Town ETC.
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About this article
- Length
- 427 words · 2 min read
- Published
- November 5, 2026
- Byline
- Angelica Rhoda
- Source
- Cape Town ETC