Name: Southern Right Whale Class: Mammal Whale Length: Up to 18 m Weight: 80t/50t       General Information: At birth, whales have a length of about 6 meters. They will grow about 3 cm a day and drink about 600 liters of milk!  Grown whales can have a length of up to 18m and in the summer months they can consume up to 1600 kg of plankton. A male whale can produce up to 500 liters of sperm. In the middle of June, the whales will leave the Antarctic and start the long journey to South Africa. They will stay here in the warmer waters until the beginning of December to bring their young into the world.   Whale spotting:  Hermanus is known as one of the best whale-spotting areas in the world due to the fact that many whales find their home in the sheltered bay close to the shore. Every year, the "Moby Dick Hermanus Whale Festival" celebrates the return of the whales. This festival takes place in September/October and is accompanied by sport, theatre and music performances.   Whale Protection:  Whales were almost extinct after the commercial whale hunting in the forties. There were only about 200 to 300 animals left. In 1976 whale hunting in South Africa was banned. The existence of this mighty sea creature could therefore be saved, and today there are about 700 whales found along the shores of South Africa. The growth rate of whales is about 7%, which means that the numbers of whales will double every ten years.