The Mystical World of Mysticetes CV
The Mystical World of Mysticetes CV
The Mystical World of Mysticetes CV
THE
Of Rights, Rorquals, Pygmies,
and Grays
TAXONOMY OF THE
MYSTICETI
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
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
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
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 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
END OF PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU.