Rorquals: Balaenopteridae - Physical Characteristics, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Rorquals And People, Conservation Status, Blue Whale (balaenoptera Musculu): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT
found continental land oceans
Rorquals are found in all of the oceans of the world and the seas that connect to these oceans. They do not live in the parts of the Arctic and Antarctic Ocean that are covered by ice, since they must come to the surface to breathe. Rorquals are more often found in shallower parts of the ocean that are closer to land. These areas are called continental shelves.
Rorquals can be seen most often in open waters over continental shelves. They can sometimes be found in bays and inlets near land.
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Rorquals (ROAR-kwulz) are large baleen (buh-LEEN or BAY-leen) whales. Like all baleen whales, they are filter feeders. These whales do not have teeth. Instead, they have many overlapping plates called baleen plates that hang like a curtain from the upper jaw. These plates are made of a material called keratin (KARE-ah-tin). This horny, fingernail-like material frays out into thin hairs at the end …
Rorquals normally swim at around 10 to 20 miles per hour (16 to 32 kilometers per hour). Some species, such as the fin whale can swim at speeds of 23 miles per hour (37 kilometers per hour) for short periods. Groups, or pods, are usually made up of two to five individuals, but sometimes large groups of rorquals come together where food is abundant. Generally rorquals do not dive deeper than 300 fe…
All species of rorquals have been hunted by people for their oil and meat. Their oil was used in making margarine, soap, and lubricants, or industrial oils, until the 1980s. During the early 1900s humpback whales were hunted heavily, because they live close to land and their population was severely reduced. Hunters then began hunting of a number of other rorqual species. The blue whale became a pr…
Physical characteristics: The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet. Their skin is gray or blue-gray with lighter colored splotches. Blue whales grow to between 74 and 79 feet (23 and 24 meters) and weigh up to 200 tons (181 metric tons). Females are slightly larger than males. Geographic range: Blue whales are found in all oceans worldwide. Habitat: Blue whales spend the spring months in…
Physical characteristics: The northern minke whale is the smallest rorqual whale, but is still between 26 and 33 feet (8 and 10 meters) long. They are sleek whales with black, brown or gray backs and lighter bellies. They have light stripes across their flippers. Geographic range: Northern minke whales migrate from tropical waters to the polar oceans in the Northern Hemisphere. There are two separ…
Physical characteristics: Humpback whales grow to between 38 and 49 feet (12 to 15 meters) in length and weigh between 27 and 33 tons (25 to 30 metric tons). The tail can be 18 feet (5.5 meters) wide. They are black except for their underside, flippers, and throat, which are white. Their head, jaw, and flippers are covered with bumps. Each bump has at least one hair growing out of it. Scientists d…
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