Right whales are three species of large baleen whales of the genus Eubalaena: the North Atlantic right whale (E. glacialis), the North Pacific right whale (E. japonica) and the Southern right whale (E. australis). They are classified in the family Balaenidae with the bowhead whale.

A right whale opens its mouth wide, revealing huge plates of baleen hanging from its upper jaw. There are between 200 and 270 baleen plates on each side of a right whale's upper jaw. They work like a giant sieve to catch the whale's food.

The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is a baleen whale, one of three right whale species belonging to the genus Eubalaena, [1] all of which were formerly classified as a single species.

Dec 20, 2024 · Right whales are baleen whales, feeding on copepods (tiny crustaceans) by straining huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates, which act like a sieve. By the early 1890s, commercial whalers had hunted North Atlantic right whales to the brink of extinction.

Baleen is the series of fringed plates hanging in right whales' mouths that are used to strain seawater for food. Until the early 1900's, right whales were heavily hunted primarily for their fatty blubber, which could be burned in oil lamps or made into soap.

Baleen whales are cetaceans classified under the parvorder Mysticeti, and consist of four extant families: Balaenidae (right whales), Balaenopteridae (rorquals), Eschrichtiidae and Cetotheriidae (pygmy right whale).

Stretching up to 16.8 meters (55 feet) long and weighing up to 62 tons (70 tons), the North Atlantic right whale is one of the world’s largest animals—and one of the most endangered whales. Scientists estimate that between 300-400 individuals remain.

Jan 1, 2025 · right whale, (family Balaenidae), any of four species of stout-bodied whales having an enormous head measuring one-quarter to one-third their total body length. From the 17th to 19th century, these whales were hunted for their oil and their strong, elastic baleen.

Jul 18, 2023 · North Atlantic right whales are baleen whales, meaning they have a system of baleen plates in their mouths instead of teeth. They feed by a process called skim feeding, swimming slowly with their mouths open at or just below the water's surface, filtering food from the water as it enters their mouths.

Baleen Whales. Blue Whale; Bowhead Whale; Bryde's Whale; Fin Whale; Gray Whale; Humpback Whale; Minke Whale; North Atlantic Right Whale; North Pacific Right Whale; Sei Whale; Toothed Whales. Amazon River Dolphin; Atlantic Spotted Dolphin; Baird's Beaked Whale; Beluga Whale; Bottlenose Dolphin; Cuvier's Beaked Whale; Dall's Porpoise; Dwarf Sperm ...