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Discover the world of Mysticeti, the fascinating Baleen Whales! These cetaceans are diverse and captivating, with notable species like the enormous Blue Whale. Learn about their feeding techniques, social behaviors, migration habits, and the threats they face in their marine environment.
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Make up 10% of all cetaceans • Most are large sized – Blue whale is the largest animal ever known (living or fossil) • Capture prey in batches (mostly plankton & krill) • Most are solitary, but some live in small pods • Almost all migrate great distances • 14 species in the suborder Mysticeti • Baleen plates hang from upper jaw • Used to filter food from the water
Skimming (like Right Whales) • Swimming slowly with mouth open (can happen either at the surface or underwater) • http://www.arkive.org/north-atlantic-right-whale/eubalaena-glacialis/video-08.html?offset=0px • Gulp Feeding (like Blue/Humpback Whales) • Gulping enormous amounts of water & food, then forcing all the water out • Humpbacks cooperate using bubblenets • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJvfjiCTvq4&feature=related • Bottom Ploughing (like Grey Whales) • Rolling on their side and sucking in large amounts of mud, water, and bottom dwelling invertebrates
Tangled in fishing nets (often they drag it away with them and it impairs their abilities to get food) • Ship strike (fast moving commercial vessels pose huge threats of seriously injuring large whales) • Pollution & disease • Habitat destruction (increased boat traffic will scare the whales away) • Whaling (killing whales for meat- Japan & Norway are the only countries killing whales, with Japan killing much more) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ3lfVaOLGk • http://animal.discovery.com/videos/whale-wars-witness-to-a-whales-death.html • http://animal.discovery.com/videos/whale-wars-whale-kill.html • http://animal.discovery.com/videos/whale-wars-whale-harpooned-and-killed.html