"dislodge parasites. Some species of barnacle, such as ""Conchoderma auritum"" and whale barnacles, attach to the baleen plates, though this seldom occurs. A species of copepod, ""Balaenophilus unisetus"", inhabits baleen plates of whales in tropical waters. A species of Antarctic diatom, ""Cocconeis ceticola"", forms a film on the skin, which takes a month to develop; this film causes minor damage to the skin. They are also plagued by internal parasites such as stomach worms, cestodes, nematodes, liver flukes, and acanthocephalans. Before reaching adulthood, baleen whales grow at an extraordinary rate. In the blue whale, the largest species, the fetus grows"
"Whale shark The whale shark (""Rhincodon typus"") is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of and a weight of about . The whale shark holds many records for size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the largest living nonmammalian vertebrate. It is the sole member of the genus Rhincodon and the only extant member of the family Rhincodontidae which belongs to the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. Before 1984 it was classified as ""Rhiniodon"" into Rhinodontidae. The whale shark is found in open"
"Rorqual Rorquals (Balaenopteridae) are the largest group of baleen whales, a family with nine extant species in two genera. They include what is believed to be the largest animal that has ever lived, the blue whale, which can reach , and the fin whale, which reaches ; even the smallest of the group, the northern minke whale, reaches . Rorquals take their name from French ', which derives from the Norwegian word ', meaning ""rorqual-whale"" (the first element ""røyr"" originated from the Old Norse name for this type of whale, ""reyðr"", probably related to the Norse word for ""red""). The"
"Blue whale The blue whale (""Balaenoptera musculus"") is a marine mammal belonging to the baleen whale parvorder, Mysticeti. At up to in length and with a maximum recorded weight of , it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. Long and slender, the blue whale's body can be various shades of bluish-grey dorsally and somewhat lighter underneath. There are at least three distinct subspecies: ""B. m. musculus"" of the North Atlantic and North Pacific, ""B. m. intermedia"" of the Southern Ocean and ""B. m. brevicauda"" (also known as the pygmy blue whale) found in the Indian Ocean and"
"15 species. The extinct ancestors of modern whales are the Archaeoceti. While cetaceans were historically thought to have descended from mesonychids, molecular evidence supports them as a relative of Artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates). Cetaceans belong to the order Cetartiodactyla (formed by combining Cetacea + Artiodactyla) and their closest living relatives are hippopotamuses and other hoofed mammals (camels, pigs, and ruminants), having diverged about 50 million years ago. Cetaceans range in size from the and Maui's dolphin to the and blue whale, which is also the largest animal ever known to have existed. Several species exhibit sexual dimorphism. They have streamlined bodies"
"Sperm whale The sperm whale (""Physeter macrocephalus"") or cachalot is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus ""Kogia"". The sperm whale is a pelagic mammal with a worldwide range, and will migrate seasonally for feeding and breeding. Females and young males live together in groups, while mature males (bulls) live solitary lives outside of the mating season. The females cooperate to protect and"
"Giant beaked whale Giant beaked whales are species of beaked whales in the genus Berardius: Arnoux's beaked whale (""Berardius arnuxii"") in cold Southern Hemisphere waters, and Baird's beaked whale (""Berardius bairdii"") in the cold temperate waters of the North Pacific. A possible unnamed third species was described in 2016. They are the largest whales belonging to the family Ziphiidae. Lifespan estimates, based on earwax plug samples, indicate these whales can live up to 85 years. They are sometimes referred to as ""four-toothed whales"" or ""giant beaked whales"", but are most commonly known by their genus name, ""Berardius"". Arnoux's and Baird's"
"looks similar to, but smaller than, the fin whale; individuals of this species were found in Indo-Pacific waters. In 2012, the following alternate taxonomy was presented: A 2018 genetic study suggests that gray whales (""Eschrichtius robustus"") be counted among the rorquals. Rorqual Rorquals (Balaenopteridae) are the largest group of baleen whales, a family with nine extant species in two genera. They include what is believed to be the largest animal that has ever lived, the blue whale, which can reach , and the fin whale, which reaches ; even the smallest of the group, the northern minke whale, reaches ."
"Pilot whale Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus Globicephala. The two extant species are the long-finned pilot whale (""G. melas"") and the short-finned pilot whale (""G. macrorhynchus""). The two are not readily distinguishable at sea, and analysis of the skulls is the best way to distinguish between the species. Between the two species, they range nearly worldwide, with long-finned pilot whales living in colder waters and short-finned pilot whales living in tropical and subtropical waters. Pilot whales are among the largest of the oceanic dolphins, exceeded in size only by the killer whale. They and other large members"
"June 2016. Pilot whale Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus Globicephala. The two extant species are the long-finned pilot whale (""G. melas"") and the short-finned pilot whale (""G. macrorhynchus""). The two are not readily distinguishable at sea, and analysis of the skulls is the best way to distinguish between the species. Between the two species, they range nearly worldwide, with long-finned pilot whales living in colder waters and short-finned pilot whales living in tropical and subtropical waters. Pilot whales are among the largest of the oceanic dolphins, exceeded in size only by the killer whale. They and other"
"the blue whale (up to 180 tonnes, 200 tons) and the fin whale (up to 70 tonnes, 77 tons) and the humpback whale (up to 40 tonnes, 44.5 tons). In the North Pacific, adult males average and adult females , weighing 15 and 18.5 tonnes (16.5 and 20.5 tons), while in the North Atlantic adult males average and adult females , weighing 15.5 and 17 tonnes (17 and 18.5 tons) In the Southern Hemisphere, they average 14.5 (47.5 ft) and , respectively, weighing 17 and 18.5 tonnes (18.5 and 20.5 tons). ( In the Northern Hemisphere, males reach up to"
"crustaceans, marine worms, small fish and cephalopods such as octopus, squid, cuttlefish, etc. Compared to the world’s largest fish, the whale shark, more formally known as the Rhincodon typus, which reaches maximum lengths of up to 12 meters long, the gummy shark can reach a maximum length of 157 cm for males and 175 cm for female. That makes this species of shark about 14 percent of the size of the whale shark. The minimum size for both male and female is 45 cm measured from the rear-most gill slit to the base of the tail fin. At birth, these"
"around 34 million years ago. Baleen whales range in size from the and pygmy right whale to the and blue whale the largest known animal to have ever existed. They are sexually dimorphic. Baleen whales can have streamlined or large bodies, depending on the feeding behavior, and two limbs that are modified into flippers. Though not as flexible and agile as seals, baleen whales can swim very fast, with the fastest able to travel at . Baleen whales use their baleen plates to filter out food from the water by either lunge-feeding or skim-feeding. Baleen whales have fused neck vertebrae,"
"of the Society for Marine Mammalogy, the largest international association of marine mammal scientists in the world, officially uses ""Physeter macrocephalus"" when publishing their definitive list of marine mammal species. The sperm whale is the largest toothed whale, with adult males measuring up to long and weighing up to . By contrast, the second largest toothed whale (Baird's Beaked Whale) measures and weighs up to . The Nantucket Whaling Museum has a -long jawbone. The museum claims that this individual was long; the whale that sank the ""Essex"" (one of the incidents behind ""Moby-Dick"") was claimed to be . A"
"two small eyes at the front. Whale sharks are grey with a white belly. Their skin is marked with pale yellow spots and stripes which are unique to each individual. The whale shark has three prominent ridges along its sides. Its skin can be up to thick. The shark has a pair of dorsal fins and pectoral fins. Juveniles' tails have a larger upper fin than the lower fin, while the adult tail becomes semilunate. The whale shark's spiracles are just behind its eyes. The whale shark is the largest non-cetacean animal in the world. The average size of adult"
"Data Deficient by the IUCN. There is preliminary evidence of the Baird's beaked whale being sensitive to anthropogenic aquatic noise pollution similar to other odontocete species. Giant beaked whale Giant beaked whales are species of beaked whales in the genus Berardius: Arnoux's beaked whale (""Berardius arnuxii"") in cold Southern Hemisphere waters, and Baird's beaked whale (""Berardius bairdii"") in the cold temperate waters of the North Pacific. A possible unnamed third species was described in 2016. They are the largest whales belonging to the family Ziphiidae. Lifespan estimates, based on earwax plug samples, indicate these whales can live up to 85"
"Mesoplodont whale Mesoplodont whales are fifteen species of toothed whale in the genus Mesoplodon, making it the largest genus in the cetacean order. Two species were described as recently as 1991 (pygmy beaked whale) and 2002 (Perrin's beaked whale), and marine biologists predict the discovery of more species in the future. They are the most poorly known group of large mammals. The generic name ""mesoplodon"" comes from the Greek ""meso""- (middle) - ""hopla"" (arms) - ""odon"" (teeth), and may be translated as 'armed with a tooth in the centre of the jaw'. Mesoplodont beaked whales are small whales, (pygmy beaked"
"Physeteroidea Physeteroidea is a superfamily that, today, includes three extant species of whales: the sperm whale, in the genus ""Physeter"", and the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale, in the genus ""Kogia"". In the past, these genera have sometimes been united in a single family, the Physeteridae, with the two ""Kogia"" species in the subfamily Kogiinae; however, recent practice is to allocate the genus ""Kogia"" to its own family, the Kogiidae, leaving the Physeteridae as a monotypic (single extant species) family, although additional fossil representatives of both families are known. The sperm whale (""Physeter macrocephalus"") is the largest species"
"research program, The Dominica Sperm Whale Project, has been in operation since 2005. The introduction of plastic waste to the ocean environment by humans is new. Sperm whales have occasionally been found with pieces of plastic in their stomachs. Sperm whale The sperm whale (""Physeter macrocephalus"") or cachalot is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus ""Kogia"". The sperm whale is a pelagic"
"include the blue whale, the world's largest animal, as well as the Eden's, Omura's, Bryde's, common minke, fin, sei, and humpback whale. There had been an endemic, resident population of fin whales in Yellow and Bohai Sea to East China Sea historically. Minke whales are also resident in the same regions. Bryde's whales were considered to be historical residents along Taiwan and southern coasts. In Chinese EEZ, critically endangered North Pacific right whales and western gray whales had been sighted in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea only on prior to 1970s especially for right whales while there had"
"single female, suggesting that sperm competition is an important factor in mating behavior. Although the blue whale is the largest animal on the planet, the testes of the right whale are actually ten times larger than those of the blue whale – with each weighing up to , they are by far the largest of any animal on Earth. Gestation tends to last a year, and calves are born at in weight and in length. Weaning occurs after eight months. Right whales were a preferred target for whalers because of their docile nature, their slow surface-skimming feeding behaviors, their tendency"
"Megachile pluto Megachile pluto, also known as Wallace's giant bee, is a very large Indonesian resin bee. It is the largest known living bee species. It was believed to be extinct until its rediscovery in 1981. Females may reach a length of , with a wingspan of . Males only grow to about long. ""M. pluto"" is believed to be the largest living bee species. Wallace's giant bee has only been reported from three islands of the North Moluccas in Indonesia: Bacan, Halmahera and Tidore. Very little is known about its distribution and habitat requirements, although it is thought that"
"Bowhead whale The bowhead whale (""Balaena mysticetus"") is a species of the family Balaenidae, in parvorder Mysticeti, and genus ""Balaena"", which once included the right whale. A stocky dark-coloured whale without a dorsal fin, it can grow in length. This thick-bodied species can weigh from . They live entirely in fertile Arctic and sub-Arctic waters, unlike other whales that migrate to low latitude waters to feed or reproduce. The bowhead was also known as the Greenland right whale or Arctic whale. American whalemen called them the steeple-top, polar whale, or Russia or Russian whale. The bowhead has the largest mouth"
"Great hammerhead The great hammerhead (""Sphyrna mokarran"") is the largest species of hammerhead shark, belonging to the family Sphyrnidae, attaining a maximum length of . It is found in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide, inhabiting coastal areas and the continental shelf. The great hammerhead can be distinguished from other hammerheads by the shape of its ""hammer"" (called the ""cephalofoil""), which is wide with an almost straight front margin, and by its tall, sickle-shaped first dorsal fin. A solitary, strong-swimming apex predator, the great hammerhead feeds on a wide variety of prey ranging from crustaceans and cephalopods, to bony fish,"
"Right whale Right whales or black 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. Right whales have rotund bodies with arching rostrums, V-shaped blowholes and dark gray or black skin. The most distinguishing feature of a right whale is the rough patches of skin on its head, which appear white due to parasitism by whale lice. Right whales can grow up to more than"
"about . The largest male killer whale on record was , weighing , while the largest female was , weighing . Calves at birth weigh about and are about long. The killer whale's large size and strength make it among the fastest marine mammals, able to reach speeds in excess of . The skeleton of the killer whale is of the typical delphinid structure, but more robust. Its integument, unlike that of most other dolphin species, is characterized by a well-developed dermal layer with a dense network of fascicles of collagen fibers. Killer whale pectoral fins, analogous to forelimbs, are"
"The blue whale may be the largest animal on the planet, yet the testicles of the right whale are ten times the size of those of the blue whale. They also exceed predictions in terms of relative size, as well – they are six times larger than would be expected on the basis of body mass. Together, the testicles make up nearly 1% of the right whale's total body weight. This strongly suggests sperm competition is important in mating, which correlates to the fact that right whales are highly promiscuous. Many of southern right whales are seen with rolls of"
"whales have a distinctive wide V-shaped blow, caused by the widely spaced blowholes on the top of the head. The blow rises above the surface. Right whales have between 200 and 300 baleen plates on each side of their mouths. These are narrow and approximately long, and are covered in very thin hairs. The plates enable the whale to filter feed. The penis on a right whale can be up to – the testes, at up to in length, in diameter, and weighing up to 525 kg (1157 lbs), are also by far the largest of any animal on Earth."
"where she was rushed to SeaWorld San Diego. After 14 months, she was released because she also grew too large to be cared for in the existing facilities. Reaching and , J.J. was the largest creature ever to be kept in captivity. Gray whale The gray whale (""Eschrichtius robustus""), also known as the grey whale, gray back whale, Pacific gray whale, or California gray whale is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of , a weight of , and lives between 55 and 70 years. The common name of the whale"
"It is the largest among the toothed whales, weighing about 170 g. It is overall ellipsoid in shape, compressed along the visual axis, measuring about 7×7×3 cm. The cornea is elliptical and the lens is spherical. The sclera is very hard and thick, roughly 1 cm anteriorly and 3 cm posteriorly. There are no ciliary muscles. The choroid is very thick and contains a fibrous ""tapetum lucidum"". Like other toothed whales, the sperm whale can retract and protrude its eyes thanks to a 2-cm-thick retractor muscle attached around the eye at the equator, but are unable to roll the eyes"
"this rule is the whale shark, the spiracles of which are situated just behind the eyes. Carpet sharks derive their common name from the fact that many species have a mottled appearance with intricate patterns reminiscent of carpet designs. The patterning provides camouflage when the fish is lying on the seabed. The largest carpet shark is the whale shark (""Rhincodon typus"") which can grow to a length of . It is the largest species of fish, but despite its size, is not dangerous, as it is a filter feeder, drawing in water through its wide mouth and sifting out the"
"Humpback whale The humpback whale (""Megaptera novaeangliae"") is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from and weigh around . The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale watchers. Males produce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which they repeat for hours at a time. Its purpose is not clear, though it may have a role in mating. Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales"
"not known how long traveling pairs stay together. In locations where there is a high concentration of food, as many as 50 blue whales have been seen scattered over a small area. They do not form the large, close-knit groups seen in other baleen species. The blue whale is the largest animal known to have ever lived. Blue whales are difficult to weigh because of their size. They were never weighed whole, but cut into blocks across and weighed by parts. This caused a considerable loss of blood and body fluids, estimated to be about 6% of the total weight."