1. BALEEN WHALES
The gentle giants

2. WHALES All whales are mammals Mammals share 5 characteristics
Breathe air
Give live birth
Nurse their young (with milk)
Have hair/fur
Warm-blooded
Correct term is endothermic = maintain their body temperature internally

3. WHALE CLASSIFICATION Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Mammalia
Order Cetacea
Suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales)
Suborder Mysticeti (baleen whales)
Toothed whale
Baleen whale

4. BALEEN WHALES Highly migratory
Average 3,000-5,000 km (1,800-3,000 miles) for mating and food
Population—worldwide population numbers are high
Some populations are depleted
Six whale populations are endangered and protected under U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973
Blue, bowhead, fin, humpback, right and Sei whales

5. BALEEN WHALES Blue whale Bowhead whale Humpback whale Fin whale
Right whale
Sei whale

6. OTHER LEGISLATION PROTECTING BALEEN WHALES
International Whaling Convention (1946)
14 countries that regulate and monitors whale populations and funds whale research
Ex. Inuits are told how many whales they can hunt for their food
Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972)
MMPA made it illegal to hunt or harass any marine mammal in the United States
According to the MMPA, all whales in U.S. waters (baleen and toothed) are under the jurisdiction of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

7. OTHER LEGISLATION PROTECTING BALEEN WHALES
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
CITES is an international treaty that provides protection for wild animal and plant species in international trade.
Promotes the conservation of endangered species while allowing trade in certain wildlife.
Species listed in Appendix I are threatened with extinction and are or may be affected by trade, therefore commercial trade is strictly prohibited. All of the great whales are listed on Appendix I.

8. WHALING
IWC, 1946

9. SIZE Some of the largest animals on Earth
Helps protect them from predators
Helps keep them warm (SA/V)
Water supports their weight as water is more dense than air
Largest is the blue whale ~ 98 feet (30 meters)
Second largest is the fin whale ~ 90 feet (27 meters)

10. SIZE

11. BALEEN WHALES
Body shape is fusiform = rounded in the middle, tapered at both ends, like a football
Very large heads
Heads are ¼ to 1/3 the entire length of the body
Upper jaw is elongated with long strips of baleen attached to it

12. BALEEN WHALES
Baleen is made of keratin (same thing as your hair and nails)
Stiff baleen is arranged in rows down each side of the upper jaw
Used for filter feeding
Outer edge of baleen is smooth
Inner edge is frayed and used as a strainer
Right whales have the longest baleen ~ 13 feet long

13. Strips of baleen
Baleen whale skeleton
Right whale

14. FEEDING
Baleen whales swim at or near the surface of the water with their mouths open
Food (zooplankton/krill) caught on the inner edge of baleen
Water passes out sides of the mouth
Humpback whale feeding
Blue whale feeding

15. Lunge feeding humpback whale

16. PREDATORS
Killer whales work together as a group to drown baleen whales
Large sharks will feed on the ill, injured or very young