Baleen whale

Baleen whales , also known as whalebone whales, are <a href="/facts/Marine_mammal/WCoC2ye8">marine mammals</a> of the <a href="/facts/Order_(biology)/GKLJvIpt">parvorder</a> Mysticeti in the infraorder <a href="/facts/Cetacea/rtC33h63">Cetacea</a> (<a href="/facts/Whale/EMJBgXfb">whales</a>, <a href="/facts/Dolphin/NUxUP7Ph">dolphins</a> and <a href="/facts/Porpoise/VhfYRrDz">porpoises</a>), which use <a href="/facts/Baleen/WEWk6WMc">baleen</a> plates (or "whalebone") in their mouths to sieve <a href="/facts/Plankton/WGo3LU9T">plankton</a> from the water. Mysticeti comprises the <a href="/facts/Family_(biology)/qTrn6E8E">families</a> <a href="/facts/Balaenidae/m1c8B8wK">Balaenidae</a> (<a href="/facts/Right_whale/h9kqGwrr">right</a> and <a href="/facts/Bowhead_whale/JswW9AsW">bowhead</a> whales), <a href="/facts/Balaenopteridae/wwUb7h1P">Balaenopteridae</a> (<a href="/facts/Rorqual/wwUb7h1P">rorquals</a>), <a href="/facts/Eschrichtiidae/mLLfWw5h">Eschrichtiidae</a> (the <a href="/facts/Gray_whale/qhxcNHJ6">gray whale</a>) and <a href="/facts/Cetotheriidae/5gpaTeXm">Cetotheriidae</a> (the <a href="/facts/Pygmy_right_whale/snSfJtgu">pygmy right whale</a>). There are currently 16 <a href="/facts/Species/oDg6b96r">species</a> of baleen whales. While cetaceans were historically thought to have descended from <a href="/facts/Mesonychia/tPGlr6Xu">mesonychians</a>, <a href="/facts/Molecular_phylogenetics/FysplHP5">molecular</a> evidence instead supports them as a <a href="/facts/Clade/XefyYmWn">clade</a> of <a href="/facts/Even-toed_ungulate/LS4ra9ET">even-toed ungulates</a> (Artiodactyla). Baleen whales split from <a href="/facts/Toothed_whale/Vbw2nUcm">toothed whales</a> (Odontoceti) around 34 <a href="/facts/Mya_(unit)/DXcnXuAw">million years ago</a>.
Baleen whales range in size from the 6 m (20 ft) and 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) <a href="/facts/Pygmy_right_whale/snSfJtgu">pygmy right whale</a> to the 31 m (102 ft) and 190 t (210 short tons) <a href="/facts/Blue_whale/CSlRTeCf">blue whale</a>, the <a href="/facts/Largest_organisms/F3HjLlq7">largest known animal</a> to have ever existed. They are <a href="/facts/Sexually_dimorphic/nx9wulFy">sexually dimorphic</a>. Baleen whales can have streamlined or large bodies, depending on the feeding behavior, and two limbs that are modified into <a href="/facts/Flipper_(anatomy)/dv4PuQVY">flippers</a>. The <a href="/facts/Fin_whale/EbQkHPYc">fin whale</a> is the fastest baleen whale, recorded swimming at 10 m/s (36 km/h; 22 mph). Baleen whales use their <a href="/facts/Baleen/WEWk6WMc">baleen plates</a> to filter out food from the water by either <a href="/facts/Aquatic_predation/Fow990hf">lunge-feeding</a> or skim-feeding. Baleen whales have fused <a href="/facts/Cervical_vertebrae/M7Kf14h9">neck vertebrae</a>, and are unable to turn their heads at all. Baleen whales have two <a href="/facts/Blowhole_(anatomy)/5ccbhgLC">blowholes</a>. Some species are well adapted for diving to great depths. They have a layer of fat, or <a href="/facts/Blubber/NEyrDtbM">blubber</a>, under the skin to keep warm in the cold water.
Although baleen whales are widespread, most species prefer the colder waters of the <a href="/facts/Arctic/bxbuUz7Q">Arctic</a> and <a href="/facts/Antarctic/xPPVrxBE">Antarctic</a>. Gray whales are specialized for feeding on bottom-dwelling <a href="/facts/Crustacean/PBobIVJP">crustaceans</a>. 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 (<a href="/facts/Polygyny_in_nature/9QVUtGHj">polygyny</a>), although the degree of polygyny varies with the species. Male strategies for <a href="/facts/Reproductive_success/BjHIUg2l">reproductive success</a> vary between performing <a href="/facts/Courtship_display/U8Jl6SFq">ritual displays</a> (<a href="/facts/Whale_song/H5HaPmgj">whale song</a>) or <a href="/facts/Lek_mating/8XLxKDbm">lek mating</a>. Calves are typically born in the winter and spring months and females bear all the responsibility for raising them. Mothers <a href="/facts/Fasting/mL2xf6C1">fast</a> for a relatively long period of time over the period of migration, which varies between species. Baleen whales produce a number of <a href="/facts/Infrasound/yCUJSSe3">infrasonic</a> <a href="/facts/Whale_sound/H5HaPmgj">vocalizations</a>, notably the songs of the <a href="/facts/Humpback_whale/UJb1KpJb">humpback whale</a>.
The meat, blubber, baleen, and oil of baleen whales have traditionally been used by the <a href="/facts/Circumpolar_peoples/2jflU5R6">indigenous peoples of the Arctic</a>. Once relentlessly <a href="/facts/Whaling/rvUqYp0E">hunted</a> by commercial industries for these products, cetaceans are now protected by international law. These protections have allowed their numbers to recover. However, the <a href="/facts/North_Atlantic_right_whale/z4DkUbwm">North Atlantic right whale</a> is ranked critically endangered by the <a href="/facts/International_Union_for_Conservation_of_Nature/QwV8JXup">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a>. Besides hunting, baleen whales also face threats from <a href="/facts/Marine_pollution/LtYCfsJt">marine pollution</a> and <a href="/facts/Ocean_acidification/GE7MrSPj">ocean acidification</a>. It has been speculated that <a href="/facts/Marine_mammals_and_sonar/sHRHH2Eq">man-made sonar</a> results in <a href="/facts/Cetacean_stranding/veGqS5yg">strandings</a>. They have rarely been kept in captivity, and this has only been attempted with juveniles or members of one of the smallest species.

Baleen whale open-in-new

Baleen whale