Baleen whale
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
Baleen whales Fossil range: latest Eocene - Recent |
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Humpback Whale breaching
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Scientific classification | ||||||||||
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Diversity | ||||||||||
Around 15 species, see below. | ||||||||||
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Balaenidae |
The baleen whales, also called whalebone whales or great whales, make up the Mysticeti, one of the two groups of the Cetacea (whales, dolphins, and porpoises).
Baleen whales have baleen plates for filtering food from water, instead of having teeth. This makes them different from the other group of cetaceans, the toothed whales or Odontoceti. Living Mysticeti species have teeth only when they are still in the mothers' womb. Mysticeti had teeth before baleen whales appeared, according to fossils.
The suborder contains four families and fourteen species. The scientific name derives from the Greek word mystidos, which means "unknowable".
[change] Anatomy
Baleen whales are generally larger than toothed whales, and females are larger than males. This group includes the largest living animal species, the Blue Whale.
Baleen whales have two blowholes, so they will have a V-shaped blow.
[change] Breaching
Although they are very heavy, baleen whales are able to jump completely out of the water. Humpback Whales are known for thier jumping skills, but other baleen whales also jump out from the water with their body or beat it loudly with their fins. Nobody knows for sure why the whales do this. Some people think that the male baleen whales try to show off to the females.
[change] Importance to humans
From the 11th to the late 20th centuries, baleen whales were hunted 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.