Baleen WhalesBy: Nicole Berry

Baleen Whales

• Contains four families, only two occur in the North Atlantic– Right Whales– Rorquals– Grey Whales (exterminated in the North

Atlantic in the mid 1700s)– Pygmy Right Whales (found only in the

Southern Hemisphere)

Characteristics of a Baleen Whale

• Baleen Whales lack teeth altogether

• Characterized by the presence of baleen plates

• Baleen is made of keratin

• Vary in shape, size, color, and function

Characteristics of Baleen Whales

• Female baleen whales are about 5% longer than males of the same species

• All baleen whales show some variation of a characteristic fusiform (torpedo-shaped) body shape

• Have a double blowhole on the top of the head

Baleen Whales

• Right Whales– Bowhead Whale– Northern Right Whale

• Rorquals– Minke Whale– Bryde’s Whale– Sei Whale– Fin Whale– Blue Whale– Humpback Whale

Right Whales

• Lack a dorsal fin• Completely smooth on the underside• Show tale flukes on diving• Have a V-shaped blow• The head accounts for up to 1/3 of the whale’s

length• Baleen plates are used for skimming at the

surface or in the upper layer of water• Examples: Bowhead & Northern Right Whale

Bowhead Whales

• Jawline is strongly arched• Baleen are black plates

that hang in 2 rows from the roof of the mouth

• Coloration is black to blue-black but has a white tail base and lower lip

• Blow is distinctly V-shaped

Northern Right Whale

• Jawline is also strongly arched

• Callosities are present on the top of the head and in the center of the lower lip

• Baleen are brown plates in two rows from the roof of the mouth

• Coloration is black to blue-black except for genital region, which is white

• Blow is bushy V-shaped

Rorquals

• Presence of throat grooves

• ‘Winged whales’• Blow is expelled upwards

and is not V-shaped• Presence of a dorsal fin• Family includes: Minke,

Bryde’s, Sei, Fin, Blue, and Humpback Whales

Minke Whale

• Dorsal fin is placed 2/3 of the way back from the tip of the snout

• Throat grooves terminate before the umbilicus

• Baleen in each half of upper jaw, yellow towards the front and turn grey-brown towards the back

• Coloration-black back with variable whitish areas, sometimes a patch behind the head,flippers have a white band on the outer part

• Extremely fast

Bryde’s Whale• Has three ridges on the top of

its head• Dorsal fin forms a right angle

and is located on the posterior third of the back

• Throat grooves extend from the snout and beyond the umbilicus

• Baleen plates are ash-grey in color and are located on each half of the upper jaw

• Coloration-dark grey on back with white or paler areas, underside is white

• When foraging, they roll on their side

Sei Whale

• Tall erect dorsal fin on the posterior third of the back

• Throat grooves end between the flippers before the umbilicus

• Baleen plates are greyish-black, finely fringed in each half of the upper jaw

• Coloration- blue-grey to dark grey with white on the belly

• Fastest animal

Fin Whale

• Low dorsal fin on the posterior third of the back• Throat grooves reach the umbilicus• World’s second-largest animal species• Coloration- back is blackish-grey, underside is white

except for the head which is asymmetrical in color: left side is dark right side is white, also reflected in the coloration of the baleen plates, an angular white mark is present behind the head

• Asymmetrical coloration is important for foraging, whale swims with the right side facing downwards

• Blow is distinct 4-6m tall• 2nd fastest and 2nd biggest animal ever

Fin Whale

Blue Whale

• Biggest animal ever• 23-28m long weigh 125

tonnes• Record size is 380,000lbs• Dorsal fin is quite small• Baleen plates are black

and up to 1m long• Coloration- body is grey-

blue, throat grooves can have a pale blue-grey color

Humpback Whale

• Flippers are about 1/5 the length of the body• Has sensory tubercles on the upper lip• Stubby dorsal fin• Baleen plates are up to 1m long and are black to olive in

color• Coloration- back is blue-black or dark grey, underside

can be white to a vary extent, flippers are white, underside of tail flukes can vary from all white to all black

• Males sing to attract females, the song is identical for all males in the same year

• Developed several feeding techniques– Bubble net– Lunge-feeding

Humpback Whale