What are Baleen Whales?

These beautiful photos of Baleen Whales are probably fascinating enough to be their own post. A thanks to all the sources that provide photos like these; they contribute greatly to the wonderous perception we have of the oceans.

What are Baleen Whales? I've used this term multiple times throughout the Arctic subseries, such as in the Humpback and Bowhead Whale articles, but what does this really mean? Are Baleens a subspecies of whale? A type of whale? What are their main characteristics? It's important to know what all the terms mean when you're learning about new species, and really, anything in general. Don't bother with the 8,157 word Wikipedia page on Baleen Whales. Here's everything you need to know, served in the form of a short, yet substantial article with a generous side of sarcasm.

Here's a helpful diagram on the anatomy of a Baleen Whale. These features are characteristics of all Baleens; the most notable of which is the Baleen.

If one read the Wikipedia page on Baleen Whales, one would be surprisingly pleased to find the definition of Baleen Whales in the very first sentence. One would be terribly confused with said definition of Baleen Whales because of words like "parvorder" and "infraorder" and "Mysticeti". Let's state the obvious: a definition that requires further definitions to understand the original definition is NOT a definition.

def-i-ni-tion [defəˈniSH(ə)n] ~ noun :

~~a statement that defines a word~~

~~an exact statement of the nature, scope, or meaning of something~~

words that tell you what another word means

These days, so many dictionaries use fancy words, or even worse, the defined word, to define a word. Like in Physics, the real struggle is defining energy; literally every source uses work to define energy, but guess how work is defined? Using energy. It's either that or the utilizing the vocables of the greatest degree of obscurity. Points for professionalism, I guess, but definitions using Membean level 1 words is what we all really want.

And what you really want is probably the definition of Baleen Whales and for an end to this aside on definitions. Baleen Whales are a subgroup of Cetacea; the technical term is parvorder, which is a taxonomic rank that is below Cetacea, which is an infraorder. Both parvorders and infraorders are specific taxonomic ranks in between Order and Family, two of the main taxonomic rankings. Baleen Whales are also known as Whalebone Whales and Mysticeti, their systematic aka standardized name. Different names, but same meaning and same population of individuals. Like any other parvorder, Baleen Whales all share a notable characteristic, baleen.

Baleen Whales don't have teeth. Instead, they use Baleen, a keratin plate inside the mouth that filters out plankton and other invertebrates from the water that the Whale draws into its mouth. The prey is caught on the Baleen plate's bristles and is then able to be enjoyed by the Baleen Whale. Basically, a Baleen Whale is any member of the Cetacean infraorder that uses Baleen instead of teeth to feed. So really, there are two types of whales, Toothed and Baleen.

Within the Mysticeti parvorder are three families; together, they total 15 different Baleen Whale species.

The Rorqual Whales (Balaenopteridae)

These whales have long, stream-lined bodies and small fins, including a dorsal fin. Their baleen plates are also smaller compared to other Baleen whales, and the main characteristic of this family are the pleated grooves along their necks. These pleats are what distinguishes this family from other Baleen Whales; this unique feature allows Rorqual Whales to take in large amounts of water and prey by expanding the mouth. Rorqual Whales are the only whales to use the lunge-feeding technique, which involves rapid acceleration dives with a wide-open mouth.

This family contains the most species of Baleen Whales; there are currently 10:

Common Minke Whale
Southern Minke Whale
Gray Whale*
Humpback Whale
Fin Whale
Blue Whale
Sei Whale
Omura's Whale
Bryde's Whale
Rice's Whale

*Some consider the Gray Whale to be its own family, Eschrichtiidae

The Right Whales (Balaenidae)

Right Whales have no pleats on their throats and have larger heads compared to the other Baleen Whales. Overall, Right Whales are very large compared to other whales; their distinguishing characteristic is a narrow, arched, upper jaw that houses a long baleen plate. They have short fins, and with the exception of the Pygmy Right Whale, they don't have dorsal fins. Right Whales' feeding behavior contrasts with the Rorquals; instead of using the lunge-feeding technique, Right Whales utilize ram-feeding. Because of the long baleen plates they have, Right Whales hunt by opening their mouths near the water's surface, straining the water, and then using their tongues to scrape prey off their baleen plate.

This family contains four species:

North Atlantic Right Whale
North Pacific Right Whale
Southern Right Whale
Bowhead Whale

The Pygmy Right Whale (Cetotheriidae)

The Cetotheriidae family is said to be extinct; the majority of its members existed during prehistoric time periods. However, the Pygmy Right Whale is now classified by scientists as a member of the Cetotheriidae family. Originally grouped in with the other Right Whales, the Pygmy Right Whale was found to share more characteristics with Cetotheriidae than Balaenidae. Most defining characteristics are found in the skull anatomy of the Cetotheriidae members. Additionally, Pygmy Right Whales are very slender and sleek, shaped like an elongated silver bullet. The only characteristic it shares with the Balaenidae is its arched jaw. Pygmy Right Whales are by far the smallest Baleen Whale

This family only contains one living species: