What are baleen whales classified as?

Baleen whales are cetaceans classified under the parvorder Mysticeti, and consist of three extant families: Balaenidae (right whales), Balaenopteridae (rorquals and the gray whale), and Cetotheriidae (pygmy right whale).

What are two types of baleen whales?

Baleen whales include humpbacks, minkes, and blue whales

Of these, 14 are Mysticetes, or baleen whales. Baleen whales have baleen plates in their upper jaws, rather than teeth. The plates allow whales to feed on large quantities of prey at once while filtering out seawater.

What are the four families of baleen whales?

The mysticetes consists of four families : the rorquals, the gray whales, the right whales and the pygmy right whales.

Which animal is classified as baleen or toothed?

There are two types of whale; baleen and toothed. The key difference between them is the way they feed and what they have inside their mouth. Baleen whales have baleen plates, or sheets, which sieve prey from seawater. Toothed whales have teeth and they actively hunt fish, squid and other sea creatures.

How many baleen whale species are there?

There are 14 species of baleen whale including the blue, bowhead, right, humpback, minke and gray whale. Baleen whales are generally larger than toothed whales except for the sperm whale which is very big and has teeth.

What is the function of baleen in whales?

baleen whale, (suborder Mysticeti), also called toothless whale, any cetacean possessing unique epidermal modifications of the mouth called baleen, which is used to filter food from water. Baleen whales seek out concentrations of small planktonic animals.

What are the types of whales?

Whale/Representative species

Is the blue whale a baleen whale?

Diet of krill

Blue whales are baleen whales, which means they have fringed plates of fingernail-like material, called baleen, attached to their upper jaws.

Which whale has the most baleen?

Right whales
Right whales have the longest baleen. Bowhead whales are particularly known for their long baleen plates, which reach lengths of 4 m (13 ft.). Bowhead whales typically have 230 to 360 baleen plates on each side of the upper jaw. Gray whales have about 130 to 180 baleen plates on each side of the upper jaw.

Is a humpback whale a baleen whale?

A type of baleen whale, humpback whales reach up to 50 feet long. Called mysticetes—a word derived from the Greek for “mustache” and “whales”—baleen whales are toothless.

What are some examples of baleen whales?

Baleen whales/Lower classifications

Which whales are not baleen?

The order Cetacea, that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises is divided into two main groups: the toothed whales (Odontocetes) and the baleen or whalebone whales (Mysticetes). Toothed whales include dolphins, porpoises, as well as the large sperm and killer whales.

What are the 4 characteristics of whales?

They are mammals, and they share the defining traits of that group: they breathe air, are warm-blooded, give live birth, suckle their young on milk, and have hair. All are entirely aquatic, with specialized adaptations such as flippers and tail flukes for living in water.

Where is baleen whale found?

Baleen whales can be found in all oceans worldwide, from polar seas to temperate and tropical zones. Some species of baleen whales have limited distribution.

What does baleen whales eat?

Baleen whales feed by filtering or straining food from the water. They love to eat krill, fish, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and algae. Some, such as the right whale, are called “skimmers”. These whales swim slowly with their huge mouths open to take in large amounts of water and food.

What are groups of whales called?

A group of whales is known as a “pod.” Other terms used for groups of whales are a “gam” and “school,” but pod is by far the most common name. The term “pod” refers to a group of animals living together. In general smaller animals are more likely than larger animals to form pods.

How long do baleen whales live?

Longevity for most baleen whales is unknown. Some researchers have estimated that blue whales may live 30 to 90 years, fin whales may live 90 to 100 years, and sei whales may live as long as 60 years.

How long is baleen?

Depending on the species, a baleen plate can be 0.5 to 3.5 m (1.6 to 11.5 ft) long, and weigh up to 90 kg (200 lb). Its hairy fringes are called baleen hair or whalebone hair.