THE MYSTICAL WORLD OF

THE
Of Rights, Rorquals, Pygmies,
and Grays

| JONUEL ABADILLA | GIAN CAGAMPAN | MARIE

DIOQUINO |
| ARIANE MANLANGIT | ANGELA TELOW |
| JANILLE
VILLENOMA
|
ZOO149: BIOLOGY
OF MARINE

TAXONOMY OF THE MYSTICETI

Baleen Whales
Traditionally a Suborder under Order
Cetacea
Recent phylogenetic classifications
suggest ranking under Order
Cetartiodactyla as an Infraorder
The Society for Marine Mammalogys
Committee on Taxonomy: Mysticeti
unranked
Consists of 4 extant Families

TAXONOMY OF THE MYSTICETI

Family Balaenidae. (Right and
bowhead whales). 4 species in 2
genera.
Family Neobalaenidae. (Pygmy right
whale). 1 species in 1 genus.
Family Balaenopteridae. (Rorquals). 8
to 9 species in 2 genera.
Family Eschrichtiidae. (Gray whale). 1
species in 1 genus.

TAXONOMY OF THE
MYSTICETI

Fig 1. Phylogeny of Cetacea under Cetartiodactyla

with emphasis on Mysticetes (highlighted in blue).
From Perrin, et al., 2009.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
MYSTICETI
Known for their baleen plates that hang
from the gums of the upper jaw
Baleen plates mostly keratin, arranged in a
comb-like manner to filter out food items
Mostly feed on plankton, small schooling
fishes, krill, copepods and amphipods
Tend to be solitary and travel alone or in
small groups unless gathering for calving,
mating, and feeding

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
MYSTICETI
Possess paired blowholes shaped in a
V-position
Some have throat grooves that allow
for expanded water and food intake
Not known to echolocate but use
sounds to communicate

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
MYSTICETI
PAIRED, V-SHAPED
BLOWHOLES

BALEEN PLATES

GENERAL MORPHOLOGY AND

ANATOMY
Universally large (females grow larger
than males)
Double blowhole
Skull symmetrical
Bony mandibular symphysis absent
Sternum consisting of one bone
Baleen plates instead of teeth
Most make long-range seasonal
migrations

GENERAL MORPHOLOGY AND

ANATOMY

SKELETON OF A BLUE WHALE

GENERAL MORPHOLOGY AND

ANATOMY

COMPARISON OF BALEEN SKULL

FAMILY BALAEINIDAE
Right whales and bowhead whales
Smooth throat
Disproportionately large head with
very long baleen plates in a hugely
arched jaw
Dorsal fin/ridge absent
Less streamlined
All seven cervical vertebrae fused

FAMILY BALAEINIDAE

GENERAL MORPHOLOGY OF A BALAEINID.

FAMILY NEOBALAENIDAE
Pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata)
Intermediate characteristics between
rorquals and right whales
Head not as disproportionately large as
in right whales
Small dorsal fin present
With two rather indistinct grooves along
the skin of the throat

FAMILY NEOBALAENIDAE

MALE PYGMY RIGHT WHALE

FAMILY BALAENOPTERIDAE
Rorquals
Extremely long, streamlined bodies
with many longitudinal grooves along
the skin of the throat
Small dorsal fin
Relatively short baleen plates
Generally fast and active lunge
feeders

FAMILY BALAENOPTERIDAE

BLUE WHALE

FAMILY ESCHRICHTIIDAE
Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
Few throat grooves (2-5)
Shortest baleen plates out of all
mysticetes
With small dorsal hump followed by a
series of bumps
Slow moving
Only four digits in the flipper

FAMILY ESCHRICHTIIDAE

GRAY WHALE

SIZE COMPARISON

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION
Mysticetes occupy the worlds major
oceans
Family Balaenidae: CIRCUMPOLAR (Both
hemispheres)
Bowhead whalesnorthern hemisphere
circumpolar distribution; Eastern Arctic:
Hudson, Davis, Spitsbergen Straits;
Western Arctic: Beufort, Bering, and
Chukchi Seas; Sea of Okhotsk
Right whalestemperate waters

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION

General Balaenid Distribution:

Circumpolar, both hemispheres.

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION
Mysticetes occupy the worlds major oceans
Family Neobalaenidae: CIRCUMPOLAR, SOUTH
HEMISPHERE
Pygmy right whaleonly found in the southern
hemisphere; exact range unknown
Family Eschrichtiidae: RESTRICTED TO NORTH
PACIFIC WATERS
Gray whalefound in coastal waters no more than
100 m deep; two populations: one migrates along
the eastern coast of the USA between Alaska and
Baja California/Mexico, the other migrates between
the sea of Okhotsk and South Korea

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION

General Neobalaenid
Distribution: Circumpolar,
southern hemisphere.

General Eschrichtiid
Distribution: Two
populations restricted to
north pacific waters.

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION
Mysticetes occupy the worlds major
oceans
Family Balaenopteridae: COSMOPOLITAN
Widely distributed in the worlds major
oceans
Generally prefer deeper waters
Most are migratory
May favor either tropical/subtropical
waters or temperate waters

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION

General Balaenopterid
Distribution: Cosmopolitan

REPRESENTATIVE MYSTICETE
SPECIES
Family Balaenidae
Balaena mysticetus
(Bowhead whale)

REPRESENTATIVE MYSTICETE
SPECIES
Eubalaena japonica
(North Pacific Right whale)

REPRESENTATIVE MYSTICETE
SPECIES
Family Neobalinidae
Caperea marginata (Pygmy right Whale)

REPRESENTATIVE MYSTICETE
SPECIES
Family Balaenopteridae
Balaenoptera musculus (Blue
Whale)

REPRESENTATIVE MYSTICETE
SPECIES
Family Eschrichtiidae
Eschrichtius robustus (Gray whale)

REFERENCES
Jefferson, T. A., Pitman, R. L., & Webber, M. A. (2015). Marine
Mammals of the World: A Comprehensive Guide to Their
Identification. Academic Press, Elsevier. Accessed September
14, 2015 on <https://books.google.com/books?
isbn=0123838533>.
Perrin, W. F., Wursig, B., & Thewissen, J. G. M. (Eds.). (2009).
Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press, Elsevier.
Accessed September 14, 2015 on
<https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0080919936>.
University of Bristol. (n.d.). Mysticeti. In Cetacean
Palaeobiology. University of Bristol Department of Earth
Sciences. Accessed September 14, 2015 on
<http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/palaeofiles/whales/mysticeti.htm
>.

REFERENCES
Reilly, S.B., Bannister, J.L., Best, P.B., Brown, M., Brownell Jr.,
R.L., Butterworth, D.S., Clapham, P.J., Cooke, J., Donovan,
G.P., Urbn, J. & Zerbini, A.N. (2008)."'Balaena
mysticetus'".IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species.Version 2012.1.International Union for
Conservation of Nature. Retrieved18 September2012.
Bannister, J. L. (2008)."Baleen Whales (Mysticetes)". In
Perrin, W. F.; Wursig, B.; Thewissen, J. G. M.Encyclopedia of
Marine Mammals. Academic Press.
Sinpetru, L. (2013). North Pacific right whales are now an

endangered species. Conservationists estimate that

only a few hundred such marine mammals are left to
inhabit our oceans. Accessed September 15,2015.

END OF PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU.