1. Baleen Whales
By: Nicole Berry

2. 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)

3. 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

4. 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

5. Baleen Whales Right Whales Rorquals Bowhead Whale Northern Right Whale
Minke Whale
Bryde’s Whale
Sei Whale
Fin Whale
Blue Whale
Humpback Whale

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. Fin Whale

15. 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

16. 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

17. Humpback Whale