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Whales are fully aquatic, open-ocean animals: they can feed, mate, give birth, suckle and raise their young at sea. Whales range in size from the 2.6 metres (8.5 ft) and 135 kilograms (298 lb) dwarf sperm whale to the 29.9 metres (98 ft) and 190 tonnes (210 short tons) blue whale, which is the
The family Balaenidae, the right whales, contains two genera and four species. All right whales have no ventral grooves; a distinctive head shape with a strongly arched, narrow rostrum, bowed lower jaw; lower lips that enfold the sides and front of the rostrum; and long, narrow, elastic baleen plates (up to nine times longer than wide) with fine baleen fringes.
Whales have an elongated head ... Most molecular biological evidence suggests that hippos are the closest living relatives. ... Here is a list of all the cetaceans ...
This hypothesis was proposed due to similarities between the unusual triangular teeth of the mesonychians and those of early whales. However, molecular phylogeny data indicates that whales are very closely related to the artiodactyls, with hippopotamuses as their closest living relative.
[11] [12] The term "Cetartiodactyla" reflects the idea that whales evolved within the ungulates. The term was coined by merging the name for the two orders, Cetacea and Artiodactyla, into a single word. Under this definition, the closest living land relative of the whales and dolphins is thought to be the hippopotamuses. [13] [14] [15] [16]
Odontoceti (toothed whales, dolphins, and porpoises) Superfamily Delphinoidea (dolphins, arctic whales, porpoises, and relatives) Family Delphinidae, 38 species (dolphins, killer whales, and relatives) Family Monodontidae, 2 species (beluga and narwhal) Family Phocoenidae, 6 species ; Superfamily Physeteroidea (sperm whales)
Each year, a number of North Atlantic right whales get formal names. Scientists just released this year's list. What goes into naming a whale?
Baleen whales can have streamlined or large bodies, depending on the feeding behavior, and two limbs that are modified into flippers. The fin whale is the fastest baleen whale, recorded swimming at 10 m/s (36 km/h; 22 mph). Baleen whales use their baleen plates to filter out food from the water by either lunge-feeding or skim-feeding