Baleen Whales
The baleen whales, or mysticetes, are a suborder of the Cetaceans. This suborder is divided into four families and consists of around 13 species. There is some debate about the precise number and genetic analysis will likely continue to influence some revisions in classification.
Baleen whales evolved their baleen to take advantage of one of the most abundant food sources in the ocean: small schooling fish and zooplankton. Baleen is an elaborate filtration system in the whales mouth that filters this tiny prey from large volumes of water. Baleen is made up of several hundred individual plates that hang from the whales upper jaw. He inner surface is covered in a dense mat of hair, which serves as a strainer.
Members of the family Balaenopteridaeare also called rorquals, which is a corruption of a Danish word meaning “tubed” or “pleated” whale. Members of this family have a sleek body form and pleats on the underside of their mouth. This family includes Blue, Fin, Bryde’s, Sei, Minke, and Humpback whales.
Baleen whales evolved their baleen to take advantage of one of the most abundant food sources in the ocean: small schooling fish and zooplankton. Baleen is an elaborate filtration system in the whales mouth that filters this tiny prey from large volumes of water. Baleen is made up of several hundred individual plates that hang from the whales upper jaw. He inner surface is covered in a dense mat of hair, which serves as a strainer.
Members of the family Balaenopteridaeare also called rorquals, which is a corruption of a Danish word meaning “tubed” or “pleated” whale. Members of this family have a sleek body form and pleats on the underside of their mouth. This family includes Blue, Fin, Bryde’s, Sei, Minke, and Humpback whales.
Minke Whale
Scientific Name: Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Appearance: The Minke whale’s body is black of dark gray on top and white underneath. It often has a cream colored chevron crossing back behind the head. They also have a distinctive white band across their flippers.
This whale is small and sleek. It has a sharply pointed head, which has earned it the nickname ”sharp-headed finner”. They have 50 to 70 ventral pleats that terminate just behind the flippers. The flippers are narrow and have pointed tips. This whales can reach a maximum length between 32 to 35 feet. Minkes as a group are the second smallest of the baleen whales (only the pygmy right whale is smaller).
Minke Whales have a falcate dorsal fin that appears simultaneously with the blowhole. They do not arch their bodies prior to a big dive. Their blow also tends to be invisible. Minke’s tend to begin exhaling before they reach the surface, which minimizes the visible stream.
Diet: Minke whales feed on a variety of small schooling fish, including herring, capelin, and sandlance. They also eat krill in the Southern hemisphere
Location: These whales are fairly widely distributed. They occur in the North Atlantic and the North Pacific, from polar to tropical climates. The best time to see them in Maine is during the summer, when they migrate to colder waters.
These whales often spend their time alone or in small groups. They are quite curious and will often approach boats.
The name Minke supposedly came from a novice whaler named Meincke, who called out sightings of the whale at a time it was considered too small to hunt.
Appearance: The Minke whale’s body is black of dark gray on top and white underneath. It often has a cream colored chevron crossing back behind the head. They also have a distinctive white band across their flippers.
This whale is small and sleek. It has a sharply pointed head, which has earned it the nickname ”sharp-headed finner”. They have 50 to 70 ventral pleats that terminate just behind the flippers. The flippers are narrow and have pointed tips. This whales can reach a maximum length between 32 to 35 feet. Minkes as a group are the second smallest of the baleen whales (only the pygmy right whale is smaller).
Minke Whales have a falcate dorsal fin that appears simultaneously with the blowhole. They do not arch their bodies prior to a big dive. Their blow also tends to be invisible. Minke’s tend to begin exhaling before they reach the surface, which minimizes the visible stream.
Diet: Minke whales feed on a variety of small schooling fish, including herring, capelin, and sandlance. They also eat krill in the Southern hemisphere
Location: These whales are fairly widely distributed. They occur in the North Atlantic and the North Pacific, from polar to tropical climates. The best time to see them in Maine is during the summer, when they migrate to colder waters.
These whales often spend their time alone or in small groups. They are quite curious and will often approach boats.
The name Minke supposedly came from a novice whaler named Meincke, who called out sightings of the whale at a time it was considered too small to hunt.
Sei Whale
Scientific Name: Balaenoptera borealis
Appearance: These wales have a long, sleek body. They are dark grey on top with a cream-colored underside. This whale is often covered in small oval shaped scars, which are believed to have been caused by cookie-cutter sharks. It has a single longitudinal ridge on the top of its head. The dorsal fin is large, prominent, and usually very falcate. While diving, they do not arch their back as far as many other whales do. Sei whales reach a maximum length of approximately 64 feet.
Diet: This whale feeds on a variety of small prey, including schooling fish, krill, and zooplankton.
Location: Sei whales occur in worldwide in a wide range of climates. This whale is unusual in its distribution in that it doesn’t have a predictable migration patter. There could be a major influx of whales in one area, then an absence of them in that same area for decades. Although divisions of various populations have been proposed, the validity of these distinctions is questionable.
The common name for this whale (pronounced “sigh”) comes from the Norwegian word for Pollack because the appearance of Pollack off the often coincided with the appearance of Sei whales.
Appearance: These wales have a long, sleek body. They are dark grey on top with a cream-colored underside. This whale is often covered in small oval shaped scars, which are believed to have been caused by cookie-cutter sharks. It has a single longitudinal ridge on the top of its head. The dorsal fin is large, prominent, and usually very falcate. While diving, they do not arch their back as far as many other whales do. Sei whales reach a maximum length of approximately 64 feet.
Diet: This whale feeds on a variety of small prey, including schooling fish, krill, and zooplankton.
Location: Sei whales occur in worldwide in a wide range of climates. This whale is unusual in its distribution in that it doesn’t have a predictable migration patter. There could be a major influx of whales in one area, then an absence of them in that same area for decades. Although divisions of various populations have been proposed, the validity of these distinctions is questionable.
The common name for this whale (pronounced “sigh”) comes from the Norwegian word for Pollack because the appearance of Pollack off the often coincided with the appearance of Sei whales.
Fin Whale
Scientific Name: Balaenoptera physalus
Appearance: The Fin whale is large, fast, and sleek. It is often called the “greyhound of the oceans”. A fin whales body is dark gray on top with a cream-colored underside. It’s flukes are bordered with grey underneath. A unique feature of this whale is the asymmetrical coloration of its jaw. The right side of its jaw is dark grey, while the left is white. This whale has a lighter chevron pattern behind its head. They also have swirls of lighter on the right side of their body near the head, called the blaze. The fin whales’ dorsal fin is variably shaped and can be pointed of falcate. The combination of its dorsal fin shape and unique patterns are often used to identify individual animals. It can reach a maximum length of around 79 feet. The Fin whale is the second largest baleen whale (only the blue whale is larger).
Diet: Fin whale feed on krill and a variety of small schooling fish, including herring, capelin, and sandlance. They can be seen feeding in New England from March until November.
Location: Fin whales live in all major oceans and prefer to live in coastal and shelf waters. They are found over a broad longitudinal range throughout the year, so many may not migrate. These whales are commonly sighted in Maine between the spring and fall.
Appearance: The Fin whale is large, fast, and sleek. It is often called the “greyhound of the oceans”. A fin whales body is dark gray on top with a cream-colored underside. It’s flukes are bordered with grey underneath. A unique feature of this whale is the asymmetrical coloration of its jaw. The right side of its jaw is dark grey, while the left is white. This whale has a lighter chevron pattern behind its head. They also have swirls of lighter on the right side of their body near the head, called the blaze. The fin whales’ dorsal fin is variably shaped and can be pointed of falcate. The combination of its dorsal fin shape and unique patterns are often used to identify individual animals. It can reach a maximum length of around 79 feet. The Fin whale is the second largest baleen whale (only the blue whale is larger).
Diet: Fin whale feed on krill and a variety of small schooling fish, including herring, capelin, and sandlance. They can be seen feeding in New England from March until November.
Location: Fin whales live in all major oceans and prefer to live in coastal and shelf waters. They are found over a broad longitudinal range throughout the year, so many may not migrate. These whales are commonly sighted in Maine between the spring and fall.
MarineBio. (2014). Minke Whales. Retrieved from: http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=230
Marine Bio. (2014) Sei Whales. Retrieved from: http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=192
NECWA. (2007). Finback Whales. Retrieved from: http://www.necwa.org/finback.html
Reeves, R. R., Stewart, B. S., Clapham, P. J., Powell, J. A. (2002). Guide to Marine Mammals of the World. New York, New York: National Audubon Society.
Marine Bio. (2014) Sei Whales. Retrieved from: http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=192
NECWA. (2007). Finback Whales. Retrieved from: http://www.necwa.org/finback.html
Reeves, R. R., Stewart, B. S., Clapham, P. J., Powell, J. A. (2002). Guide to Marine Mammals of the World. New York, New York: National Audubon Society.
Updated: December 3, 2014