What is a Baleen Whale? Baleen Whales are also known as whalebone whales, also a marine mammal. Baleen Whales have a scientific name “Mysticeti”, there are currently about 16 species of Baleen Whale. Baleen Whales belong to four different families named Balaenidea, Balaenopteridea, Eschrichtiidae and Cetotheriidae.
The main difference between a Baleen whale and a whale is that they are a specific type of whale by having baleen teeth in their mouths, which they use for filter feeding. They can filter the water out of their mouths by either lunge feeding or skim feeding, how do you do that you may ask? Well Some baleen whales including the right whales skim the water’s surface to collect food on their baleen, other whales have evolved through lunge feeding, whales that lunge feed their mouths wide, then push their bodies through the water with great force, this movement drives a massive amount of water into their mouths, after they close their mouths the whale pushes the water out through its baleen, leaving the food behind. Baleen whales love to eat krill.
Their diet changed since they were no longer hunting animals, these whales had no need for their teeths, so instead they grew bristles, called baleen, they use their baleen like a sieve to catch prey, also climate change.
Several baleen whales species have been found in New Zealand, with the Southern right whale (Tohara) and humpback whale being the most commonly seen. The other baleen whales like blue whales, Bryde’s whales and sei whales have been frequently seen in New Zealand waters though they may also be seen less frequently or further offshore.