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Information about Baleen Whale

Baleen whales
Fossil range: latest Eocene - Recent
Enlarge picture
Humpback Whale breaching

Humpback Whale breaching
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Cetacea
Suborder:Mysticeti
Cope, 1891
Diversity
Around 15 species; see list of cetaceans or below.
Families


Balaenidae
Balaenopteridae
Eschrichtiidae
Neobalaenidae
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Baleen
The baleen whales, also called whalebone whales or great whales, form the Mysticeti, one of two suborders of the Cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoises). Baleen whales are characterized by having baleen plates for filtering food from water, rather than having teeth. This distinguishes them from the other suborder of cetaceans, the toothed whales or Odontoceti. Living Mysticeti species have teeth only during the embryonal phase. Fossil Mysticeti had teeth before baleen evolved.

The suborder contains four families and fourteen species. A list of species can be found below and at the Cetacea article. The scientific name derives from the Greek word mystax, which means "moustache".

Anatomy

Baleen whales are generally larger than toothed whales, and females are larger than males. This group comprises the largest living animal species, the Blue Whale. Baleen whales have two blowholes, causing a V-shaped blow.

Ecology and life history

Behavioral ecology

Breaching

In spite of their enormous mass, baleen whales are able to leap completely out of the water. Particularly known for their acrobatics are the Humpback Whales, but other baleen whales also break through the water surface with their body or beat it loudly with their fins. The reason for these habits is not known for certain, and was identified in three separate sightings.

Vocalization

See also: Whale song
In contrast to toothed whales, baleen whales are unlikely to echo-locate. Instead they are able to produce high volume sounds in the infrasonic range. The calls of the largest whales can be heard several hundred kilometres away. Unique are the songs of the Humpback Whales, consisting of complex sequences that may slowly evolve over years. They are probably used for courting.

Importance to humans

From the 11th to the late 20th centuries, baleen whales were hunted commercially for their oil and baleen. Their oil can be made into margarine and cooking oils. Baleen was used to stiffen corsets, as parasol ribs and to crease paper.

Evolutionary history

Early baleen whales first appeared as far back as Early Oligocene, or perhaps the latest Eocene (39-29 million years ago). Early baleen whales did not have (or had very little) baleen, but still had teeth obtained from their ancestors. Among them was Janjucetus, a baleen whale with sharp teeth that hunted fishes, squid, and large prey such as sharks and probably dolphin-like cetaceans. This hints that early baleen whales were predatory and eventually evolved into the gentler, toothless whales known today. The first baleened, toothless baleen whales probably appeared in the Early or Middle Miocene, from a toothed ancestor that adapted to eat small fishes or other creatures and eventually to feed by filtering.

Taxonomic classification

  • Family Balaenopteridae: Rorquals
  • Sub-family Megapterinae
  • † Genus Eobalaenoptera
  • † Eobalaenoptera harrisoni, fossil species first discovered June 2004. No common name.
  • Family Eschrichtiidae
  • † Family Janjucetidae
  • Family Neobalaenidae
  • † Family Mammalodontidae

    • See also


    Bibliography

    References

    External links

     •  • [ e]
    Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises)
    Suborder Mysticeti
    (baleen whales)
    Eschrichtiidae (gray whales) Balaenopteridae (rorquals) Balaenidae (right whales) Neobalaenidae (pygmy right whales)
    Suborder Odontoceti
    (toothed whales)
    Platanistoidea (river dolphins) Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins) Phocoenidae (porpoises) Monodontidae (beluga and narwhal) Physeteridae (sperm whales) Kogiidae (pygmy and dwarf sperm whales) Ziphiidae (beaked whales)
     •  • [ e]
    Baleen whales
    Bowhead Whale Southern Right Whale North Atlantic Right Whale North Pacific Right Whale Fin Whale Sei Whale Bryde's Whale Blue Whale Minke Whale Balaenoptera omurai Humpback Whale Gray Whale Pygmy Right Whale
    The Eocene epoch (55.8 ± 0.2 - 33.9 ± 0.1 Ma) is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in the Cenozoic era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Paleocene epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene epoch.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Megaptera
    Gray, 1846

    Species: M. novaeangliae

    Binomial name
    Megaptera novaeangliae
    Borowski, 1781


    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled until (UTC) due to vandalism.
    If you are prevented from editing this page, and you wish to make a change, please discuss changes on the talk page, request unprotection, log in, or
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    Chordata
    Bateson, 1885

    Typical Classes

    See below

    Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Mammalia
    Linnaeus, 1758

    Subclasses & Infraclasses
    • Subclass †Allotheria*
    • Subclass Prototheria
    • Subclass Theria

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Cetacea
    Brisson, 1762

    Diversity
    Around 88 species; see list of cetaceans or below.

    Suborders

    Mysticeti
    Odontoceti
    Archaeoceti (extinct)
    (see text for families)

    The order Cetacea
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840–April 12, 1897) was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist.

    Cope was born in Philadelphia to Quaker parents.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Cetacea
    Brisson, 1762

    <onlyinclude>This is a list of cetaceans. The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. It has just over eighty living species, divided into the suborders Odontoceti (the toothed whales, including dolphins and
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Cetacea
    Brisson, 1762

    <onlyinclude>This is a list of cetaceans. The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. It has just over eighty living species, divided into the suborders Odontoceti (the toothed whales, including dolphins and
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is a rank, or a taxon in that rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Code which applies.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Balaenidae
    Gray, 1821

    Range of the Balaenidae species


    Genera

    Balaena
    Eubalaena
    Balaenidae is a family of cetaceans that contains two genera.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Balaenopteridae
    Gray, 1864

    Genera

    Balaenoptera
    Megaptera

    Rorquals are the largest group of baleen whales, with nine species in two genera.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Eschrichtiidae
    Ellerman & Morrison-Scott, 1951

    Genus: Eschrichtius

    Species: E.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Neobalaenidae
    Miller, 1923

    Genus: Caperea
    Gray, 1864

    Species: C.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Cetacea
    Brisson, 1762

    Diversity
    Around 88 species; see list of cetaceans or below.

    Suborders

    Mysticeti
    Odontoceti
    Archaeoceti (extinct)
    (see text for families)

    The order Cetacea
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Baleen makes up baleen plates, which are arranged in two parallel rows that look like combs of thick hair; they are attached to the upper jaws of baleen whales. It is composed of keratin, which is the same substance that makes up human hair and nails.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Teeth (singular, tooth) are structures found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates that are used to tear, scrape, and chew food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or defense. The roots of teeth are covered by gums.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Odontoceti
    Flower, 1869

    Diversity
    Around 73; see List of cetaceans or below.

    Families
    See text.

    The toothed whales (systematic name Odontoceti) form a suborder of the cetaceans.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject.
    Please help recruit one or [ improve this article] yourself. See the talk page for details.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is a rank, or a taxon in that rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Code which applies.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    species is one of the basic units of biological classification. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Cetacea
    Brisson, 1762

    Diversity
    Around 88 species; see list of cetaceans or below.

    Suborders

    Mysticeti
    Odontoceti
    Archaeoceti (extinct)
    (see text for families)

    The order Cetacea
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Greek}}} 
    Writing system: Greek alphabet 
    Official status
    Official language of:  Greece
     Cyprus
     European Union
    recognised as minority language in parts of:
     European Union
     Italy
     Turkey
    Regulated by:
    ..... Click the link for more information.

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    blowhole is the hole at the top of a Cetacean's head through which the animal breathes air. It is homologous with the nostril of other mammals. As whales reach the water surface to breathe, they will forcefully expel air through the blowhole.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Mass is a fundamental concept in physics, roughly corresponding to the intuitive idea of "how much matter there is in an object". Mass is a central concept of classical mechanics and related subjects, and there are several definitions of mass within the framework of relativistic
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Megaptera
    Gray, 1846

    Species: M. novaeangliae

    Binomial name
    Megaptera novaeangliae
    Borowski, 1781


    ..... Click the link for more information.
    FIN may refer to
    • the ISO 3166-1 alpha-3-code for Finland.
    • a Financial Accounting Standards Board FASB Interpretation Number.
    • Federazione Italiana Nuoto, the Italian Swimming Federation.
    • A FIN packet in the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Whale song is the sound made by whales to communicate. The word "song" is used in particular to describe the pattern of regular and predictable sounds made by some species of whales (notably the humpback) in a way that is reminiscent of human singing.
    ..... Click the link for more information.


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