Balaenidae

Balaenidae

Published: May 25, 2011, 12:00 am

Updated: September 1, 2011, 6:21 pm

Topics:

Marine Ecology (main) Oceans and seas (main) Wildlife (main) Species (main)

Fluke of bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), Foxe Basin (Nunavut, Canada). Source: Ansgar Walk

Balaenidaeis a family of four species of whale (marine mammals within the order of cetaceans):

1. North Atlantic right whale - Eubalaena glacialis
2. North Pacific right whale - Eubalaena japonica
3. Southern right whale - Eubalaena australis
4. Bowhead whale - Balaena mysticetus

Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus): Front of mouth (rostrum), Foxe Basin (Nunavut, Canada). Source: Ansgar Walk

Conservation Status

Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum:--- Chordata Class:------ Mammalia Order:-------- Cetacea Family:-------- Balaenidae

These are large whales. These animals are among the largest mammals and can weigh as much as 100 tons at maturity. The Bowhead whale is the second largest whale in the world, second only to the Blue whale.

Members of Balaenidae are baleen whales, meaning that instead of teeth, they have long plates which hang in a row (like the teeth of a comb) from its upper jaws. Baleen plates are strong and flexible; they are made of a protein similar to human fingernails. Baleen plates are broad at the base (gumline) and taper into a fringe which forms a curtain or mat inside the whale's mouth. Baleen whales strain huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates to capture food: tons of krill, other zooplankton, crustaceans, and small fish.

Members of Balaenidae can live 70 years or longer. Some Bowhead whales are known to have lived to over 100 years of age, a fact established by the discovery of stone harpoon heads (out of use since the late 1800s) in the flesh of specimens. If this high longevity is correct, the Bowhead whale may be the longest living mammal.

Members of Balaenidae were extensively hunted for their blubber until prohibitions were put in place.The Northern Pacific right whale is endangered (with only about 500 individuals extant) and the North Atlantic right whale critically endangered (approximately 300 to 350 alive) Indeed, the Northern Atlantic right whale is the most critically endangered great whale. The Southern right whale (~7500 individuals in 1997) and the Bowhead whale (20,000 to 40,000) have made stronger recoveries since whale hunting was significantly curtailed by international agreement.

Right whales have been a target for hunters since at least 800 years. The species obtained its name for being the "right" whales to catch. Once killed, their considerable amount of blubber caused them to float at the surface and resulted in huge yields of oil.

Bowhead whales are named after their bow-shaped mouth. The lower jaw makes a U-shape around the upper jaw.

See articles on individual species for details.

Further Reading

1. Eubalaena glacialis (Müller, 1776) North Atlantic right whale, Encyclopedia of Life, accessed 2-10-2011
2. Reilly, S.B., Bannister, J.L., Best, P.B., Brown, M., Brownell Jr., R.L., Butterworth, D.S., Clapham, P.J., Cooke, J., Donovan, G.P., Urbán, J. & Zerbini, A.N. 2008. Eubalaena glacialis. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4..
3. Crane, J. and R. Scott. 2002. "Eubalaena glacialis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed May 30, 2011 .
4. Eubalaena japonica (Lacépède, 1818), Encyclopedia of Life
5. Reilly, S.B., Bannister, J.L., Best, P.B., Brown, M., Brownell Jr., R.L., Butterworth, D.S., Clapham, P.J., Cooke, J., Donovan, G.P., Urbán, J. & Zerbini, A.N. 2008. Eubalaena japonica. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. Downloadedon 30May2011.
6. Dewey, T. 2009. "Eubalaena japonica" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed May 30, 2011 .
7. Eubalaena australis (Desmoulins, 1822), Encyclopedia of Life, Accessed February 9, 2011
8. Reilly, S.B., Bannister, J.L., Best, P.B., Brown, M., Brownell Jr., R.L., Butterworth, D.S., Clapham, P.J., Cooke, J., Donovan, G.P., Urbán, J. & Zerbini, A.N. 2008. Eubalaena australis. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4.
9. Smith, J. 2000. "Eubalaena australis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed May 30, 2011
10. Balaena mysticetus, Linnaeus, 1758, Encyclopedia of Life, Accessed 2-10-2011
11. Reilly, S.B., Bannister, J.L., Best, P.B., Brown, M., Brownell Jr., R.L., Butterworth, D.S., Clapham, P.J., Cooke, J., Donovan, G.P., Urbán, J. & Zerbini, A.N. 2008. Balaena mysticetus. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. Downloadedon 30May2011
12. Justice, J. 2002. "Balaena mysticetus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed May 30, 2011 .

Citation

Saundry, P. (2011). Balaenidae . Retrieved from http://editors.eol.org/eoearth/wiki/Balaenidae