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Taxa

Balaenopteridae

Mammal Families

The rorquals: baleen whales with pleated throat grooves that expand enormously during lunge-feeding, allowing an enormous volume of water and prey to be engulfed in a single mouthful. Balaenopteridae includes the blue whale and the humpback whale.

Facts
Taxonomic Rank
Family 2
Scientific Name
Balaenopteridae 2
Member Count Band
Under 10 Species 3
Era First Appeared
Paleogene 4
Disputed
Member Species/Taxa Count
9 2
Approximate described-species (or, for a genus, described-taxon) count; continually revised as species are newly described, reclassified or synonymized.
Classification
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Cetacea, Taxa
Source Catalogue of Life

Parent Taxon Of

Blue Whale, Species
Source Catalogue of Life
Fin Whale, Species
Source Catalogue of Life
Source Catalogue of Life
Sources
1. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ232829, descriptionView the Source
2. Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeView the Source
3. Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank): Taxon metrics for Balaenopteridae
Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank)Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCount
Quote, Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCount
"speciesExtantCount": 9
View the Source
4. Paleobiology Database: Taxon record for Balaenopteridae
Paleobiology DatabaseTaxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)
Quote, Taxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)
"taxon_name": "Balaenopteridae" ... "firstapp_max_ma": 27.3 ... "early_interval": "Chattian"
View the Source
Wikidata: Balaenopteridae
Wikidata Q232829, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
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