Whales that strain food from the water using baleen
Baleen whales
Temporal range: late Eocene–Present
PreꞒ
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O
S
D
C
P
T
J
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Pg
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Clockwise from top left: humpback whale, gray whale, North Atlantic right whale, and common minke whale
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Artiodactyla
Infraorder:
Cetacea
Parvorder:
Mysticeti Cope 1891
Subgroups
†Borealodon
†Coronodon
†Llanocetidae
†Mammalodontidae
Kinetomenta
†Aetiocetidae
Chaeomysticeti
†Eomysticetidae
†Pelocetidae
Cetotheriidae
Balaenopteridae
Balaenidae
Eschrichtiidae
Diversity
16 species
Synonyms
Mystacoceti
Baleen whales (/bəˈliːn/), also known as whalebone whales, are marine mammals of the parvorder Mysticeti in the infraorder Cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoises), which use keratinaceous baleen plates (or "whalebone") in their mouths to sieve planktonic creatures from the water. Mysticeti comprises the families Balaenidae (right and bowhead whales), Balaenopteridae (rorquals), Eschrichtiidae (the gray whale) and Cetotheriidae (the pygmy right whale). There are currently 16 species of baleen whales. While cetaceans were historically thought to have descended from mesonychians, molecular evidence instead supports them as a clade of even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla). Baleen whales split from toothed whales (Odontoceti) around 34 million years ago.
Baleen whales range in size from the 6 m (20 ft) and 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) pygmy right whale to the 31 m (102 ft) and 190 t (210 short tons) blue whale, the largest known animal to have ever existed.[1][2] They are sexually dimorphic. Baleen whales can have streamlined or large bodies, depending on the feeding behavior, and two limbs that are modified into flippers. The fin whale is the fastest baleen whale, recorded swimming at 10 m/s (36 km/h; 22 mph). Baleen whales use their baleen plates to filter out food from the water by either lunge-feeding or skim-feeding. Baleen whales have fused neck vertebrae, and are unable to turn their heads at all. Baleen whales have two blowholes. Some species are well adapted for diving to great depths. They have a layer of fat, or blubber, under the skin to keep warm in the cold water.
Although baleen whales are widespread, most species prefer the colder waters of the Arctic and Antarctic. Gray whales are specialized for feeding on bottom-dwelling crustaceans. Rorquals are specialized at lunge-feeding, and have a streamlined body to reduce drag while accelerating. Right whales skim-feed, meaning they use their enlarged head to effectively take in a large amount of water and sieve the slow-moving prey. Males typically mate with more than one female (polygyny), although the degree of polygyny varies with the species. Male strategies for reproductive success vary between performing ritual displays (whale song) or lek mating. Calves are typically born in the winter and spring months and females bear all the responsibility for raising them. Mothers fast for a relatively long period of time over the period of migration, which varies between species. Baleen whales produce a number of infrasonic vocalizations, notably the songs of the humpback whale.
The meat, blubber, baleen, and oil of baleen whales have traditionally been used by the indigenous peoples of the Arctic. Once relentlessly hunted by commercial industries for these products, cetaceans are now protected by international law. These protections have allowed their numbers to recover. However, the North Atlantic right whale is ranked critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Besides hunting, baleen whales also face threats from marine pollution and ocean acidification. It has been speculated that man-made sonar results in strandings. They have rarely been kept in captivity, and this has only been attempted with juveniles or members of one of the smallest species.
^Paul, Gregory S. (25 October 2016). The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs (Second ed.). Princeton University Press. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-4008-8314-1.
^Bortolotti, Dan (14 October 2008). Wild Blue: A Natural History of the World's Largest Animal. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-4299-8777-6.
Baleenwhales (/bəˈliːn/), also known as whalebone whales, are marine mammals of the parvorder Mysticeti in the infraorder Cetacea (whales, dolphins and...
Baleen is a filter-feeding system inside the mouths of baleenwhales. To use baleen, the whale first opens its mouth underwater to take in water. The whale...
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal and a baleenwhale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of 29.9 meters (98 ft) and weighing...
The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is a species of baleenwhale belonging to the family Balaenidae and is the only living representative of the genus...
The sei whale (/seɪ/ SAY, Norwegian: [sæɪ]; Balaenoptera borealis) is a baleenwhale. It is one of ten rorqual species, and the third-largest member after...
about 54 million years ago. The two parvorders of whales, baleenwhales (Mysticeti) and toothed whales (Odontoceti), are thought to have had their last...
filter feeding Mysticeti or baleenwhales (which includes species like the blue whale, the humpback whale and the bowhead whale). Despite their highly modified...
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleenwhale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species...
The pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata) is a species of baleenwhale. It may be a member of the cetotheres, a family of baleenwhales which until 2012...
minke whale (/ˈmɪnki/), or lesser rorqual, is a species complex of baleenwhale. The two species of minke whale are the common (or northern) minke whale and...
The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), also known as the finback whale or common rorqual, is a species of baleenwhale and the second-longest cetacean...
comprises the 94 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises. It is divided into toothed whales (Odontoceti) and baleenwhales (Mysticeti), which diverged...
Pacific gray whale, Korean gray whale, or California gray whale, is a baleenwhale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches...
animals that rely on this method of feeding are clams, krill, sponges, baleenwhales and many fish (including some sharks). Some birds, such as flamingos...
have also contributed to its decline. A reduction in the diversity of baleenwhales and a shift in their distribution toward polar regions may have reduced...
The two modern parvorders of cetaceans – Mysticeti (baleenwhales) and Odontoceti (toothed whales) – are thought to have separated from each other around...
Whale barnacles are species of acorn barnacle that belong to the family Coronulidae. They typically attach to baleenwhales, and sometimes settle on toothed...
Rorquals (/ˈrɔːrkwəlz/) are the largest group of baleenwhales, comprising the family Balaenopteridae, which contains ten extant species in three genera...
beaked whales and sperm whales. 73 species of toothed whales are described. They are one of two living groups of cetaceans, the other being the baleen whales...
The southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is a baleenwhale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Southern...
Antarctic minke whale or southern minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) is a species of minke whale within the suborder of baleenwhales. It is the second...
common minke whale or northern minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is a species of minke whale within the suborder of baleenwhales. It is the smallest...
The bodies of most great whales (which includes sperm whales and many species of baleenwhale) are slightly denser than the surrounding seawater, and...
The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is a baleenwhale, one of three right whale species belonging to the genus Eubalaena, all of which...
civilized peoples. Minke whale is one of the most common species still hunted in substantial numbers.[citation needed] Baleenwhales other than the minke...
various modern whales, suggested that the sperm whales are more closely related to the baleenwhales than they are to other toothed whales, which would...
The North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica) is a very large, thickset baleenwhale species that is extremely rare and endangered. On average and...