Baleen whale

Baleen whale

Baleen whales are cetaceans classified under the parvorder Mysticeti. They are a widely distributed and diverse parv order of carnivorous marine mammals. Baleen whales use their baleen plates to filter out food from the water by either lunge-feeding or skim-feeding. Balaenids are distinguished by their enlarged head and thick blubber, while rorquals and gray whales generally have a flat head.

About Baleen whale in brief

Summary Baleen whaleBaleen whales are cetaceans classified under the parvorder Mysticeti. They are a widely distributed and diverse parv order of carnivorous marine mammals. Baleen whales use their baleen plates to filter out food from the water by either lunge-feeding or skim-feeding. They range in size from the 6 m and 3,000 kg pygmy right whale to the 31 m and 190 t blue whale, the largest known animal to have ever existed. The North Atlantic right whale is ranked endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They have rarely been kept in captivity, and this has only been attempted with juveniles or members of one of the smallest species. Balaenids are distinguished by their enlarged head and thick blubber, while rorquals and gray whales generally have a flat head, long throat pleats, and are more streamlined than Balaanids. The closest living relatives to balean whales are toothed whales both from the infraorder Cetacea. The meat, blubbers, and oil of baleens have traditionally been used by the indigenous peoples of the Arctic. Once relentlessly hunted by commercial industries for these products, ceaceans are now protected by international law. They face threats from marine pollution and ocean acidification. It has been speculated that man-made sonar results in strandings, and that the whales are more closely related to bowhead whales and right whales than to the North Pacific and Southern right whales.

The first descriptions of Balaena was done in the early 2000s and consisted of only one living member: pyg my right whale. The only other member is the North Atlantic Cetotheriidae, which consists of two genera: Eubena and Balaene. The most closely related species of whale is the fin whale, which has two limbs that are modified into flippers, and can swim at 10 ms. It is the only whale that has ever been found to have two blowholes, and is well adapted for diving to great depths. The fin whale is recorded swimming at 10m. Gray whales are specialized for feeding on bottom-dwelling crustaceans, and have a streamlined body to reduce drag while accelerating. Right whales skim-feed, meaning they use their enlargedHead to effectively take in a large amount of water and sieve the slow-moving prey. Males typically mate with more than one female, although the degree of polygyny varies with the species. Male strategies for reproductive success vary between performing ritual displays 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. Humpback whales produce a number of vocalizations, notably the songs of the humpback whale. North Atlanticright whale North Atlantic minke whale and North Atlantic Blue whale.