Baleen whales (photos can be seen in the article) - is one of the modern suborders of cetaceans.They impress with their size, evolutionary origin and way of life.We learn about the world's largest animals in more detail.
order Cetacea
This is a large group of mammals that includes the largest among all the representatives of the class.Now there are 38 genera united in two suborders: Baleen and toothed whales (mistakotsety and odontotsety).This pet friendly, fully adapted to life in the aquatic environment.The scientific name of the order comes from the Greek and means "sea monster".This is not surprising, because the whales - the largest mammals on the planet.They have modified a streamlined fusiform body, smooth skin and a thick layer of fat under it.It protects the animal from hypothermia.In the evolution of hind limbs atrophied, and the front turned into a giant fins.
Baleen whales (toothless): general characteristics
suborder includes four families, consisting of 10 species.This humpback, blue, bowhead, northern, pygmy, gray whale, fin whale, sei, Bryde's whales and small.Later in the article we learn about some of them in more detail.Most members of the suborder - cosmopolitans and widely distributed in the waters of the ocean.On the question of how many teeth in baleen whales, we can safely answer: none.All of them are in the process of evolution undergone significant changes, and turned into a special horn plate.They are called "whalebone" that formed the basis of the name of the suborder.Solid education located across the gum one after the other at intervals of 0.3-1.2 cm. The top and inside edges of each plate are split into long, thin bristles.Such a structure of the jaw apparatus resembles a sieve or filter.The animal swallows a large body of water with small fish, plankton and crustaceans, and then filter it.
How much teeth in baleen whale was known in ancient times, but the fact that they were - it is an indisputable fact.He confirmed the discovery of fossil species in 2011.A small whale (up to 3 m in length) has a large and sharp teeth.This proves that the modern types have come a long evolutionary path to the modern structure of the elastic jaw apparatus.
blue (or blue) whale
This marine animals in different formulations used only one epithet - "the most."The length of its body reaches 33 meters and weigh more than 150 tons.This is the largest animal on Earth today and, probably ever lived on the planet.With such a large size blue whale mustache (teeth that turned into a developed filter unit) has a peaceful disposition and feed exclusively on plankton.His body was slender, elongated, with a large head, its length is 27% of the entire body.Blue whales are long-lived: by different estimations of scientists, their average lifespan - 40-90 years.This kind of cosmopolitan, its historic habitat covers almost all the oceans.Now they can be found very rarely, as in a certain period, they were on the verge of extinction by man.
Bowhead Whale
Baleen whales of this species - the inhabitants of the cold waters of the northern hemisphere.They have also quite impressive sizes - up to 20 meters in length (females) and 18 m (male) weighing from 75 to 150 tons.The dive to a greater depth (up to 200m) and may not emerge for about 40 minutes.They live an average of about 40 years.View is not very well understood, as difficult to conduct watching them in the harsh climatic conditions.It feeds on plankton.
Humpback whale (long-armed whale)
His name is required to form a mammal of the dorsal fin, resembling a hump, and the characteristic habit to buckle when navigating.In the first photo of our review were sealed characteristic humpback whale jumping out of the water.This is a fairly large whale length of 14.5 m, rarely 17-18 m and weighing 30 tons.From the remaining whales different body shape and color, thanks to which you can even distinguish individuals.The mustachioed humpback whale is found in all corners of the world ocean, although sparse population.He prefers to stay in the offshore and coastal areas to a depth of swims only during migration.The species has a Sensitive.
Finval
takes the second place after the blue whale in size and weight in animals (see photo above).These two kinds combines a very close relationship.Sometimes there are hybrids.We now know two subspecies of fin whales: the North Atlantic and Antarctic, allowed the existence of a third, according to some scientists.Individuals living in the Northern Hemisphere, as adults reach a length of 24 m, and the inhabitants of the South - from 20 to 27 m. This moustached whale unlike relatives willing to live in small groups (6 animals).Fin whale dives deep (up to 250 m) and fast swims, a top speed of 50 kilometers per hour, the water can be carried out without the air of up to 15 minutes.In addition to human natural enemies whale has.Currently, however, fin whale is rare and endangered.
sei
endangered species of whales family that grows to a length of 20 meters and weighing about 30 tons.The diet consists mainly of crustaceans and schooling fish (such as pollock), and cephalopods.Baleen whales live to an average age of 60 years.Sei whale dives well to a depth of three hundred meters and can do without the air of up to 20 minutes.Active destruction of this species began after a reduced number of blue whales and fin whales.In 1986, fishing for him was completely banned.
Bryde's whales
Keith medium size, up to 14 m in length and weighing up to 25 tons.It has an elongated body is dark gray with a few light spots (see photo).A distinctive feature - it is three separated build-up at the top of the head.They prefer to live in pairs or small groups.More or less a settled view, short-term migration and depend solely on the availability of food (mainly fish and cephalopods).Baleen whales is quite common in all the oceans.
Toothed whales
In modern suborder includes 10 families, including dolphins, monodontidae, kashalotovye, porpoises, and so on. D. The distinguishing feature is the presence of teeth on the jaws.Representatives of the toothed whales can be considered predators, feeding mainly on fish, cephalopods and even other marine mammals.Almost all kinds of size inferior to the previous suborder, they are mobile and are excellent swimmers, with the exception of the sperm whale.It grows up to 20 meters long and weighs about 50 tons.Lifestyle herd, prefer to stay in large groups.
Another brilliant representative of the toothed whales is the killer whale (pictured).Cosmopolitan view, predator, having a wide range of power, however, each specialized in a specific population of a fish (such as herring in the Norwegian Sea).
