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Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and porpoises. Dolphins and porpoises may be considered whales from a formal, cladistic perspective.
The humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus Megaptera. Adults range in length from 14–17 m (46–56 ft) and weigh up to 40 metric tons (44 short tons). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins ...
Balaenoptera sibbaldii Sars , 1875. The blue whale ( Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of 29.9 meters (98 ft) and weighing up to 199 tonnes (196 long tons; 219 short tons), it is the largest animal known ever to have existed. [ a] The blue whale's long and slender body can be of ...
Orca gladiator (Bonnaterre, 1789) The orca ( Orcinus orca ), or killer whale, is a toothed whale that is the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. It is the only extant species in the genus Orcinus. Orcas are recognizable by their black-and-white patterned body.
Cetacea. Cetacea ( / sɪˈteɪʃə /; from Latin cetus ' whale ', from Ancient Greek κῆτος ( kêtos) ' huge fish, sea monster ') [ 3] is an infraorder of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often ...
Delphinapterus leucas. ( Pallas, 1776) Beluga range. The beluga whale ( / bɪˈluːɡə /; [4] Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. It is also known as the white whale, as it is the only cetacean ...
Fin whale. The fin whale ( Balaenoptera physalus ), also known as the finback whale or common rorqual, is a species of baleen whale and the second-longest cetacean after the blue whale . The biggest individual reportedly measured 26 m (85 ft) in length, with a maximum recorded weight of 77 to 81 tonnes. The fin whale's body is long, slender and ...
Sibbaldius schlegelii Flower, 1865. Rudolphius laticeps Gray, 1868. The sei whale ( / seɪ / SAY, [4] Norwegian: [sæɪ]; Balaenoptera borealis) is a baleen whale. It is one of ten rorqual species, and the third-largest member after the blue and fin whales. It can grow to 19.5 m (64 ft) in length and weigh as much as 28 t (28 long tons; 31 ...