#balaenidae

[inatungulates]

Southern right whale Eubalaena australis

Observed by martinmoscovich, CC BY-NC

[alphynix]

Megabalaena sapporoensis was a member of the balaenid baleen whale lineage, related to modern right whales and bowhead whales. Living in marine waters covering what is now northern Japan during the late Miocene, about 9 million years ago, it helps to fill in a significant gap in the fossil record of this group.

Known from a partial skeleton about 12.7m long (~42'), it was much larger than earlier balaenids, but smaller than modern forms. It also had a narrower flipper shape compared to its modern relatives, a less arched jaw, and its neck vertebrae were only partially fused.

Modern right whales are slow-swimming ram feeders, but since Megabalaena was less specialized for this particular filter feeding style it's unclear what its ecology was.

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References:

Buono, Mónica R., et al. "The early Miocene balaenid Morenocetus parvus from Patagonia (Argentina) and the evolution of right whales." PeerJ 5 (2017): e4148. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4148

Tanaka, Yoshihiro, et al. "A new member of a large and archaic balaenid from the Late Miocene of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan partly fills a gap of right whale evolution." Palaeontologia Electronica 28.2 (2025): 1-59. https://doi.org/10.26879/1549

Wikipedia contributors. “Megabalaena” Wikipedia, 24 Aug. 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megabalaena

[jojos-birdwatching-adventure]

Do you know any characters that would remind you of a shoebill bird? the big dino looking bird :)

Probably Angelo…

[all-mammal-creechur]

Bowhead Whale Balaena mysticetus

It is the only baleen whale endemic to the Arctic and subarctic waters, and is named after its characteristic massive triangular skull, which it uses to break through Arctic ice. Bowheads have the largest mouth of any animal representing almost one-third of the length of the body. They may be the longest-lived mammals, with the ability to reach an age of more than 200 years.

img source

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

Bowhead Whale

Have you seen the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onMar 30, 2025

First photo thanks to Paul Nicklen.

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Baleen, the thick bristles that whales use to filter out krill and other small marine prey for feeding, originally grows in solid, layered plates. It becomes bristly over time as the whale rubs its tongue along the inside of the baleen, breaking it down. Just like human hair, baleen grows continuously, and samples taken from different ends of baleen strands can inform scientists about the environment in which the whale lived at different times in its life!

(Image: A grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus) showing off its white baleen by Christopher Swann)

If you like what I do, consider buying me a ko-fi!

[seatrench]

Baleen Whale Fall

(source)

[contemporaryartsgallery]

balaenidae - Skot Olsen