Baleen Whale Stephen Pajon Per.2 5/9/16

Baleen Whale

For most baleen whale species, estimating abundance is difficult due to their vast distribution and their aquatic habits Very limited population Are classified as endangered species Different species of Baleen whales, ex. Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) northern right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) Population

Distribution/Habitat Baleen whales can be found in all oceans worldwide, from polar seas to temperate and tropical zones. Some baleen whales are coastal. (They stay near shore.) They forage along the productive continental shelf area. Some species give birth to there youngs in protected coastal bays and lagoons. Other species are oceanic. (They roam the open seas.) Distribution/Habitat

Most baleen whales are highly migratory, moving toward high-latitude (polar) feeding areas in the summer and toward low-latitude (tropical) calving areas in the winter. (depends on the variations of water temperatures, food availability, and feeding habits . Although some individual whales do not migrate. These may be juveniles or post- reproductive adults and may stay in protected near shore areas. Migration

Most baleen whales migrate 1,800-3,000 miles each way, depending on the species. For example, Gray whales migrate more than 6,000 miles each way - the longest known migration for any mammal. But in most cases a lot of whales migrate much shorter distances. Migration (continue)

Physical Characteristics (size) Baleen whales are some of the world's largest animals. In the ocean, water helps support an animal's body weight, allowing for the potential for greater size than on land.(which is why the biggest mammals on the planet are in water) (largest living animal is in fact the Blue Whale) In general, females are about 5 percent longer than males of the same species. Baleen whales in the northern hemisphere are slightly smaller than those in the southern hemisphere. Physical Characteristics (size)

Why are they called Baleen? In the mouth of a baleen whale, stiff plates of keratin grow down from the gums of the upper jaw. These plates are called baleen. They grow in rows on each side of the mouth. Baleen whales do not have teeth. They do develop tooth buds during the embryonic stage, but these tooth buds disappear before birth. Although baleen is not bone tissue, it is sometimes referred to as "whalebone". Baleen whales have also been known as "whalebone whales". (another name they are referred to as) Why are they called Baleen?

Baleen whales produce primarily low- frequency sounds - mostly well below 5,000 Hz. Such sounds may be the loudest produced by any animal and may travel for hundreds of kilometers under water. These sounds are made for many different types of uses. For example, these loud sounds may be for long-range contact, assembly, advertisement for mates, greeting, location, orientation, threat, navigation, or individual identification Whale sounds

Current Event (Article) http://www.britannica.com/animal/baleen -whale Baleen whale Mammal Written by: The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica Current Event (Article)

This article gives you an overall perspective of what Baleen whales are like and more or less what they do. For example, why are they called Baleen? Its because of there filter like mouth’s and teeth. They feed of planktonic animals at great quantities. A little bit more about the Baleen (mouth) The baleen apparatus hangs down in two transverse rows, one from each side of the roof of the mouth (palate). Each row contains up to 400 elongated, triangular plates. The longest sides of the plates are smooth and situated along the outer edge of the mouth, whereas the inner sides are frayed into bristles. In the Greenland right whale (Balaena mysticetus), single plates of baleen can reach 5.2 metres (17 feet) long. Wow!!!!!! Current Event

https://seaworld.org/Animal-Info/Animal- InfoBooks/Baleen-Whales/Habitat-and- Distribution http://173.203.153.132/infobooks/Baleen /habdisbw.html en.wikipedia.org (image) Bibliography