Toothed mysticetes are known from scattered localities (e.g. Aetiocetus, North Pacific; Mammaldon, Southwest Pacific) . Also, by about 30 Ma, the first toothless baleen whales (“cetotheres”) had evolved.
Where do baleen whales live?
Baleen whales can be found in all oceans worldwide , from polar seas to temperate and tropical zones. Some species of baleen whales have limited distribution.
When did the mysticetes live?
Llanocetus denticrenatus lived during the Late Eocene Age (37.8 million to 33.9 million years ago) . Much of what is known about the species comes from an analysis of an endocast (a cast of the brain cavity) and part of a jaw from a fossil excavated in 1974 and 1975 from Seymour Island, Antarctica. L.
Do all mysticetes have baleen?
The baleen is the characteristic that most defines this group of whales. ... Mysticetes are generally large animals, and this group contains the largest species in the world – the blue whale. All mysticetes have: Baleen plates , which they use for feeding.
Is a sperm whale a mysticetes?
Cetaceans are animals that were amphibious who came back into the water. There are two families of whales the Mysticetes (mustache whales) and the Odontocetes, the toothed whales. Sperm whales are the only odontocetes that don’t fit into either dolphin or porpoise categories. ...
Can a whale swallow a human?
Whales, in general, are not capable of swallowing a human being and therefore will not eat you. However, there is a species of whales that does pose a legitimate challenge to that general theory: sperm whales.
Is the blue whale a baleen whale?
During certain times of the year, a single adult blue whale consumes about 4 tons of krill a day. Blue whales are baleen whales , which means they have fringed plates of fingernail-like material, called baleen, attached to their upper jaws.
Which whale has no teeth?
Whales Without Teeth
Baleen whales do not have teeth. Baleen whales have two blowholes, and they tend to be larger than toothed whales. Instead of teeth, whales in this group have special baleen plates with bristles that serve their dental needs.
What is the largest whale?
The Antarctic blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus ssp. Intermedia) is the biggest animal on the planet, weighing up to 400,000 pounds (approximately 33 elephants) and reaching up to 98 feet in length.
Which species is the largest baleen whale?
Right whales have the longest baleen. Bowhead whales are particularly known for their long baleen plates, which reach lengths of 4 m (13 ft.). Bowhead whales typically have 230 to 360 baleen plates on each side of the upper jaw. Gray whales have about 130 to 180 baleen plates on each side of the upper jaw.
Do all Mysticetes have throat grooves?
Mysticetes (Baleen Whales)
All mysticetes have two nostrils. ... High arching lower lip and massive head (makes up a third of body length) are needed to accommodate baleen plates. No dorsal fin or ventral throat grooves . Nostrils separated into two divergent blowholes, creates V-shaped blow.
How long can sperm whales stay underwater?
A sperm whale can spend around 90 minutes hunting underwater before it has to come back to the surface to breathe. In 1969, a male sperm whale was killed off the coast of South Africa after surfacing from a dive lasting 117 minutes.
Why are Mysticetes called mustache whales?
Mysticetes, quite literally means, “mustache whales,” named after all the bristly, hairy baleen in their mouths . Baleen is an elaborate structure made of hundreds of plates hanging from the upper jaw, while the inner surface makes a dense mat of hair acting as a strainer.
Is a GREY whale a toothed whale?
Blue whales, humpback whales, and gray whales are all mysticetes. ... The toothed-whale group also includes porpoises, dolphins (including orcas, also called killer whales), and the monodonts—narwhals and belugas. Beluga whales are odontocetes, or toothed whales.
What is a whale’s mouth called?
Baleen is a filter-feeding system inside the mouths of baleen whales. To use baleen, the whale first opens its mouth underwater to take in water. The whale then pushes the water out, and animals such as krill are filtered by the baleen and remain as a food source for the whale.
