Each winter and spring, Southern Right Whales (Eubalaena australis) gather along Argentina’s Península Valdés, particularly in the calm, protected waters of Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San José. From about June through November, these gulfs serve as breeding and nursery grounds where adults, juveniles, and mothers with calves congregate. The whales are drawn by the region’s sheltered bays, which provide ideal conditions for mating, calving, and nursing before they return to feeding grounds farther south in summer.
Courtship is often dramatic and highly social. Groups of up to a dozen males—sometimes even more—will compete to mate with a single receptive female in what are known as surface-active groups. The males circle, nudge, roll, and attempt to position themselves alongside the female while she tries to control access by rolling onto her back or diving. There is no violent combat; rather, competition occurs through endurance, maneuvering, and persistence. The males’ genital anatomy plays a key role in this system—southern right whale males possess one of the largest penises in the animal kingdom, reaching about 2 to 3 meters (6 to 10 feet) in length. This size advantage likely evolved to improve sperm competition, since multiple males may mate with the same female within a short time.
Mating occurs at or just below the surface, often in brief but repeated encounters. Gestation lasts roughly one year, after which females give birth to a single calf, usually about 4 to 5 meters (13 to 16 feet) long at birth. Mothers remain with their calves for a full year of nursing before resuming breeding activities. Most females follow a three-year reproductive cycle: one year pregnant, one year nursing, and one resting or preparing to breed again. This rhythm, together with the whales’ strong site fidelity to Valdés Peninsula, makes the area one of the world’s most reliable and important breeding habitats for southern right whales.
Mother and calf southern right whales are seen here as part of a larger courtship group, with adult males interested in mating with the mother. The calf has no choice but to stay by her mother's side during the courting activities.
Image ID: 38381
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Copulating Southern Right Whales, aerial photo. The male is upside down (belly up) and trying to copulate with the female who is also belly up and being evasive of the male. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41185
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Aerial photo of Eight Southern Right Whales in a large Courtship / Mating Group at Peninsula Valdes, Argentina. Eubalaena australis. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41187
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Courting group of southern right whales, aerial photo. Mating may occur as a result of this courting and social behavior. The white whale seen here is a serious player named El Copulador (the copulator) and is often seen in mating and courting groups of southern right whales at Peninsula Valdes. His light coloration is an indication that he was a white calf, but he did not darken as he aged in the way most white southern right whale calves do.
Image ID: 38356
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Mating pair of Southern Right Whales, aerial photo. In this photo, the male is grasping the female with one of his pectoral fins as a prelude to copulation. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41197
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Copulating Southern Right Whales, aerial photo. The female is in the middle. The male at bottom is copulating with her, while the second male at top is trying to do so as well. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41212
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Copulating Pair of Southern Right Whales, aerial photo.The male is at left, female at right, and the female's calf at upper right. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41219
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Five southern right whales in courtship group, aerial photo, Eubalaena australis, Argentina.
Image ID: 35969
Species: Southern right whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Courting group of southern right whales, aerial photo. Mating may occur as a result of this courting and social behavior.
Image ID: 38299
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Copulating Southern Right Whales, aerial photo. The male is upside down (belly up) and trying to copulate with the female who is also belly up and being evasive of the male. The female's calf is at lower right. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41234
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Copulating Southern Right Whales, aerial photo. The male is upside down (belly up) and trying to copulate with the female who is also belly up and being evasive of the male. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41266
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Aerial photo of Courtship / Mating Group of Southern Right Whales at Peninsula Valdes, Argentina. Eubalaena australis. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41267
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Mating pair of Southern Right Whales, aerial photo. In this photo, the male is grasping the female with one of his pectoral fins as a prelude to copulation. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41297
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Aerial photo of Courtship / Mating Group of Southern Right Whales at Peninsula Valdes, Argentina. Eubalaena australis. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41324
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
