Definition of baleen whale Baleen whale
ba•leen whale
We found 3 definitions of baleen whale from 3 different sources.
Advertising
What does baleen whale mean?
WordNet
Noun |
||
| baleen whale - whale with plates of whalebone along the upper jaw for filtering plankton from the water | ||
| whalebone whale | ||
| whale any of the larger cetacean mammals having a streamlined body and breathing through a blowhole on the head | ||
| mysticeti, suborder mysticeti baleen whales: right whales; rorquals; blue whales; humpbacks | ||
| right whale large Arctic whalebone whale; allegedly the `right' whale to hunt because of its valuable whalebone and oil | ||
| balaena mysticetus, bowhead, bowhead whale, greenland whale large-mouthed Arctic whale | ||
| rorqual, razorback any of several baleen whales of the family Balaenopteridae having longitudinal grooves on the throat and a small pointed dorsal fin | ||
| balaenoptera musculus, blue whale, sulfur bottom largest mammal ever known; bluish-grey migratory whalebone whale mostly of southern hemisphere | ||
| humpback whale, megaptera novaeangliae, humpback large whalebone whale with long flippers noted for arching or humping its back as it dives | ||
= synonym
= antonym
= related word
= antonym
= related word
Wiktionary 
Wikipedia 
-
The baleen whales, also called whalebone whales or great whales, make up the Mysticeti, one of the two groups of the Cetacea (whales, dolphins, and porpoises).
Baleen whales have baleen plates for filtering food from water, instead of having teeth. This makes them different from the other group of cetaceans, the toothed whales or Odontoceti. Living Mysticeti species have teeth only when they are still in the mothers' womb. Mysticeti had teeth before baleen whales appeared, according to fossils.
The suborder contains four families and fourteen species. The scientific name derives from the Greek word "mystidos", which means "unknowable".
Anatomy.
Baleen whales are generally larger than toothed whales, and females are larger than males. This group includes the largest living animal species, the Blue Whale.
Baleen whales have two blowholes, so they will have a V-shaped blow.
Breaching.
Although they are very heavy, baleen whales are able to jump completely out of the water. Humpback Whales are known for their jumping skills, but other baleen whales also jump out from the water with their body or beat it loudly with their fins. Nobody knows for sure why the whales do this. Some people think that the male baleen whales try to show off to the females.
Importance to humans.
From the 11th to the late 20th centuries, baleen whales were hunted for their oil and baleen. Their oil can be made into margarine and cooking oils. Baleen was used to stiffen corsets, as parasol ribs, and to crea
