Eubalaena Glacialis (North Atlantic Right Whale)
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Order CETACEA Suborder MYSTICETI BALAENIDAE Eubalaena Glacialis (Müller, 1776) EUG En - Northern Right Whale; Fr - Baleine De Biscaye; Sp - Ballena Franca
click for previous page Cetacea 2041 Order CETACEA Suborder MYSTICETI BALAENIDAE Eubalaena glacialis (Müller, 1776) EUG En - Northern right whale; Fr - Baleine de Biscaye; Sp - Ballena franca. Adults common to 17 m, maximum to 18 m long.Body rotund with head to 1/3 of total length;no pleats in throat; dorsal fin absent. Mostly black or dark brown, may have white splotches on chin and belly.Commonly travel in groups of less than 12 in shallow water regions. IUCN Status: Endangered. BALAENOPTERIDAE Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacepède, 1804 MIW En - Minke whale; Fr - Petit rorqual; Sp - Rorcual enano. Adult males maximum to slightly over 9 m long, females to 10.7 m.Head extremely pointed with prominent me- dian ridge. Body dark grey to black dorsally and white ventrally with streaks and lobes of intermediate shades along sides.Commonly travel singly or in groups of 2 or 3 in coastal and shore areas;may be found in groups of several hundred on feeding grounds. IUCN Status: Lower risk, near threatened. Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828 SIW En - Sei whale; Fr - Rorqual de Rudolphi; Sp - Rorcual del norte. Adults to 18 m long. Typical rorqual body shape; dorsal fin tall and strongly curved, rises at a steep angle from back.Colour of body is mostly dark grey or blue-grey with a whitish area on belly and ventral pleats.Commonly travel in groups of 2 to 5 in open ocean waters. IUCN Status: Endangered. 2042 Marine Mammals Balaenoptera edeni Anderson, 1878 BRW En - Bryde’s whale; Fr - Rorqual de Bryde; Sp - Rorcual tropical. -
NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE Scientific Name: Eubalaena
Common Name: NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE Scientific Name: Eubalaena glacialis Müeller Other Commonly Used Names: Northern right whale, right whale Previously Used Names: Balaena glacialis Family: Balaenidae Rarity Ranks: G1/S1 State Legal Status: Endangered Federal Legal Status: Endangered Description: North Atlantic right whales are robust baleen whales weighing as much as 63 metric tons (70 U.S. tons) and growing upwards of 15 meters (50 feet) in length. Newborn calves are approximately 4 meters (13 feet) long at birth. Distinctive characteristics include a strongly arched lower jaw, no dorsal fin, a V-shaped blow when the whale surfaces to breathe, large white patches on the head (callosities), paddle-shaped flippers, and a large head that may exceed one fourth of total body length. Most right whales are uniformly black, but some individuals have areas of white pigmentation on the belly. Two rows of black baleen plates up to 2.5 meters (8 feet) in length grow from the roof of the mouth . Each baleen plate is fringed with fine hair-like structures that enable the whales to filter plankton from the surrounding water. Right whale callosities are areas of raised, jagged skin located near the whale’s blowhole, eyes, rostrum, lip- line, and chin. The callosities are black in color but appear white because they are colonized by populations of white amphipod crustaceans called cyamids or “whale lice.” Each right whale has a unique callosity pattern, enabling scientists to distinguish individuals. Similar Species: Three species of right whales inhabit the world’s temperate oceans: the North Atlantic right whale, the North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica), and the southern right whale (E. -
Southern Right Whale Recovery Plan 2005
SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE RECOVERY PLAN 2005 - 2010 The southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is listed as endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). This plan outlines the measures necessary to ensure recovery of the Australian population of southern right whales and is set out in accordance with Part 13, Division 5 of the EPBC Act. Objectives for recovery The objectives are: • the recovery of the southern right whale population utilising Australian waters so that the population can be considered secure in the wild; • a distribution of southern right whales utilising Australian waters that is similar to the pre- exploitation distribution of the species; and • to maintain the protection of southern right whales from human threats. For the purposes of this plan ‘secure in the wild’ is defined qualitatively, recognising that stricter definitions are not yet available, but will be refined and where possible quantified during the life of this plan by work currently underway and identified in the actions of this plan. ‘Secure in the wild’ with respect to southern right whales in Australian waters means: a population with sufficient geographic range and distribution, abundance, and genetic diversity to provide a stable population over long time scales. Criteria to measure performance of the plan against the objectives It is not anticipated that the objectives for recovery will be achieved during the life of this plan. However, the following criteria can be used to measure the ongoing performance of this plan against the objectives: 1. the Australian population of southern right whales continued to recover at, or close to, the optimum biological rate (understood to be approximately 7% per annum at the commencement of this plan); 2. -
Species Assessment for North Atlantic Right Whale
Species Status Assessment Class: Mammalia Family: Balaenidae Scientific Name: Eubalaena glacialis Common Name: North Atlantic right whale Species synopsis: The North Atlantic right whale, which was first listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1973, is considered to be critically endangered (Clapham et al 1999, NMFS 2013). The western population of North Atlantic right whales (NARWs or simply right whales) has seen a recent slight increase. The most recent stock assessment gives a minimum population size of 444 animals with a growth rate of 2.6% per year (NMFS 2013). It is believed that the actual number of right whales is about 500 animals (Pettis 2011, L. Crowe, pers. comm.). At this time, the species includes whales in the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans (NMFS 2005). However, recent genetic evidence showed that there were at least three separate lineages of right whales, and there are now three separate species that are recognized. These three species include: the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), which ranges in the North Atlantic Ocean; the North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica), which ranges in the North Pacific Ocean; and the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis), which ranges throughout the Southern Hemisphere (NMFS 2005). The distribution of right whales is partially determined by the presence of its prey, which consists of copepods and krill (Baumgartner et al 2003). Most of the population migrates in the winter to calving grounds from in low latitudes from high latitude feeding grounds in the spring and summer. A portion of the population does not migrate to the calving grounds during the winter and it is unknown where they occur during that season (NMFS website, NMFS 2013). -
Balaenidae Balaena Mysticetus: Bowhead Whale/Greenland
APPENDIX MYSTICETE AND ODONTOCETE—WHALES OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC1 Mysticete: Balaenidae Balaena mysticetus: Bowhead whale/Greenland whale Length: 14–18 m Weight: 60–100 tons Group size: 1–6; up to 60 Distribution: Arctic ocean, Davis Strait, Iceland to Jan Mayen, Svalbard. Southern limit at 65°N. Eubalaena glacialis: Northern Right whale Length: 11–18 m Weight: 30–100 tons Group size: 1–3; up to 12 Distribution: Inshore and at sea in North Atlantic. Observations in Faroes and Norwegian coast. Estimation is diffi cult given small remnant population. Mysticete: Balaenopteridae Balaenoptera acutorostrata: Minke whale Length: 7–10 m Weight: 5–10 tons 1 Compiled from S. Ægisson, Jón Ásgeir í Aðaldal, and Jón Baldur Hlíðberg, Icelandic Whales Past and Present (Reykjavík: Forlagið, 1997); Chris Booth and Jean Booth, The Mammals of Orkney (Kirkwall: Chris and Jean Booth, 1994); Mark Carwadine, Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises (New York: DK Publishing, 1995); Carl Christian Kinze, Marine Mammals of the North Atlantic, trans. D. A. Christie (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001); Lyall Watson, Sea Guide to Whales of the World (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1981); “Whale Strandings UK species list,” Natural History Museum, London, http://www. nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/projects/strandings/species.html (accessed June 2007). Distribution information largely taken from Kinze. * indicates infrequent presence in Norse North Atlantic as defi ned by this study (50°N–70°N). SZABO_f12-285-292.indd 285 1/18/2008 11:25:34 AM 286 appendix Group size: 1–3, up to 100 Distribution: Oceanic and coastal throughout North Atlantic. Distribu- tion is northern in summer, southern in winter. -
Marine Mammal Taxonomy
Marine Mammal Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia (Animals) Phylum: Chordata (Animals with notochords) Subphylum: Vertebrata (Vertebrates) Class: Mammalia (Mammals) Order: Cetacea (Cetaceans) Suborder: Mysticeti (Baleen Whales) Family: Balaenidae (Right Whales) Balaena mysticetus Bowhead whale Eubalaena australis Southern right whale Eubalaena glacialis North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena japonica North Pacific right whale Family: Neobalaenidae (Pygmy Right Whale) Caperea marginata Pygmy right whale Family: Eschrichtiidae (Grey Whale) Eschrichtius robustus Grey whale Family: Balaenopteridae (Rorquals) Balaenoptera acutorostrata Minke whale Balaenoptera bonaerensis Arctic Minke whale Balaenoptera borealis Sei whale Balaenoptera edeni Byrde’s whale Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale Balaenoptera physalus Fin whale Megaptera novaeangliae Humpback whale Order: Cetacea (Cetaceans) Suborder: Odontoceti (Toothed Whales) Family: Physeteridae (Sperm Whale) Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale Family: Kogiidae (Pygmy and Dwarf Sperm Whales) Kogia breviceps Pygmy sperm whale Kogia sima Dwarf sperm whale DOLPHIN R ESEARCH C ENTER , 58901 Overseas Hwy, Grassy Key, FL 33050 (305) 289 -1121 www.dolphins.org Family: Platanistidae (South Asian River Dolphin) Platanista gangetica gangetica South Asian river dolphin (also known as Ganges and Indus river dolphins) Family: Iniidae (Amazon River Dolphin) Inia geoffrensis Amazon river dolphin (boto) Family: Lipotidae (Chinese River Dolphin) Lipotes vexillifer Chinese river dolphin (baiji) Family: Pontoporiidae (Franciscana) -
Marine Mammals of British Columbia Current Status, Distribution and Critical Habitats
Marine Mammals of British Columbia Current Status, Distribution and Critical Habitats John Ford and Linda Nichol Cetacean Research Program Pacific Biological Station Nanaimo, BC Outline • Brief (very) introduction to marine mammals of BC • Historical occurrence of whales in BC • Recent efforts to determine current status of cetacean species • Recent attempts to identify Critical Habitat for Threatened & Endangered species • Overview of pinnipeds in BC Marine Mammals of British Columbia - 25 Cetaceans, 5 Pinnipeds, 1 Mustelid Baleen Whales of British Columbia Family Balaenopteridae – Rorquals (5 spp) Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus SARA Status = Endangered Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus = Threatened = Spec. Concern Sei Whale Balaenoptera borealis Family Balaenidae – Right Whales (1 sp) Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata North Pacific Right Whale Eubalaena japonica Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Family Eschrichtiidae– Grey Whales (1 sp) Grey Whale Eschrichtius robustus Toothed Whales of British Columbia Family Physeteridae – Sperm Whales (3 spp) Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus Pygmy Sperm Whale Kogia breviceps Dwarf Sperm Whale Kogia sima Family Ziphiidae – Beaked Whales (4 spp) Hubbs’ Beaked Whale Mesoplodon carlhubbsii Stejneger’s Beaked Whale Mesoplodon stejnegeri Baird’s Beaked Whale Berardius bairdii Cuvier’s Beaked Whale Ziphius cavirostris Toothed Whales of British Columbia Family Delphinidae – Dolphins (9 spp) Pacific White-sided Dolphin Lagenorhynchus obliquidens Killer Whale Orcinus orca Striped Dolphin Stenella -
53. Balaenidae
FAUNA of AUSTRALIA 53. BALAENIDAE J. L. BANNISTER 1 53. BALAENIDAE 2 53. BALAENIDAE DEFINITION AND GENERAL DESCRIPTION The Balaenidae (right whales) is one of the three families of whalebone or baleen whales (Suborder Mysticeti, within the Order Cetacea). Mysticetes differ from the other cetacean suborder (Odontoceti, toothed whales) by the presence of a highly specialised filter-feeder apparatus made up of baleen plates attached to the gum of the upper jaw (Fig. 53.1). Figure 53.1 Lateral view of the skull of the Southern Right Whale , Eubalaena australis, showing the attachment of the baleen plates to the upper jaw. (© ABRS) [M. Thompson] 0.5 m Balaenids are distinguished from the other two mysticete families, the grey whales (Eschrichtiidae) and rorquals (Balaenopteridae), by having long and narrow baleen plates and a highly arched upper jaw. Other balaenid features include: externally, a disproportionately large head, long thin rostrum, huge lower lips and lack of multiple ventral grooves (Fig. 53.2); and internally, the lack of a coronoid process on the lower jaw and fused cervical vertebrae. A 3 m B 1.75 m Figure 53.2 Lateral view of: A, the Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis); B, the Pygmy Right Whale (Caperea marginata). (© ABRS) [M. Thompson] 3 53. BALAENIDAE HISTORY OF DISCOVERY Erected by J.E. Gray in 1825 (Watson 1981), the family contains three genera: Balaena Linnaeus, 1758, Eubalaena Gray, 1864 and Caperea Gray, 1864. Some authors (see Honacki, Kinman & Koeppl 1982) include Eubalaena in Balaena, but as Schevill (1986a) pointed out, this is contrary to general practice within the last 60–70 years and obscures their obvious dissimilarities, which are greater, for example, than between the various species of Balaenoptera. -
52. Balaenopteridae
FAUNA of AUSTRALIA 52. BALAENOPTERIDAE J.L. BANNISTER 1 52. BALAENOPTERIDAE 2 52. BALAENOPTERIDAE DEFINITION AND GENERAL DESCRIPTION The Balaenopteridae (rorquals and Humpback Whales) comprises baleen whales with relatively short triangular baleen plates, in contrast to the very long and narrow baleen of the other mysticete family, the Balaenidae (right whales). Balaenopterids are almost all fast-swimming animals, generally undertake long migrations between breeding and feeding grounds and include the Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus), the largest animal ever known. By comparison with the balaenids, balaenopterids have a relatively long and unarched upper jaw, an outwardly bowed mandible with a coronoid process and usually free cervical vertebrae (Fig. 52.1). The head is less than a quarter of the body length, numerous ventral grooves are present (the name rorqual is said to come from the Norse ‘whale with pleats in its throat’) and there is a dorsal fin, often rather small. A B 1 m Figure 52.1 The skull of the Fin Whale, Balaenoptera physalus. A, dorsal view; B, lateral views. (© ABRS) [M. Thompson] HISTORY OF DISCOVERY There are only two genera, Balaenoptera Lacépède and Megaptera Gray. Balaenoptera comprises five species: the Minke Whale (B. acutorostrata Lacépède 1804); the Sei Whale (B. borealis Lesson 1828); Bryde's Whale (B. edeni Anderson 1878); the Blue Whale (B. musculus Linnaeus 1758); and the Fin Whale (B. physalus Linnaeus 1758). Megaptera is monotypic containing only the Humpback Whale (M. novaeangliae). The generic distinction is based externally on differences in overall appearance (the Humpback Whale is generally short and relatively fat), length and shape of flipper (very long with Humpback Whales, up to one-third of the body length and knobbed anteriorly, quite unlike any other balaenopterid) and number and width of ventral grooves (wider and generally fewer with Humpback Whales). -
Are Cetacea Ecologically Important?
Margaret Barnes, Aberdeen Univers ARE CETACEA ECOLOGICALLY IMPORTANT? STEVEN KATONA College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor. Maine, USA 04609 and HAL WHITEHEAD Biology Department, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 411 ABSTRACT In undisturbed ecosystems, cetacean biomass is similar to that of other smaller site classes and ceiacea"s may be useful indicators of ecos)stem health and productivity. Cetaceans are important in energ) flux uithin marine and selected freshwater systems, hut usually do not affect nutrient cycling to a significant degree. Cctacean CiirGdSSfi pro\ide imporIan1 food sources for terrestrial and bcnthic scab- engers. Feeding grey whales disturb local benthic environments on a scale equivalent to major geological forces. Living cetaceans are colonized by a diverse fauna of commensal and parasitic invertebrates. Seabirds and some fishes benefit from feeding associations with cetaceans. Cetacean sounds are prominent in the ocean and could be useful as cues to other animals. Fishes and invertebrates do not show noticeable adaptations to cetacean predat rs hut cetaceans themselves display defensive adapt- ations aeainst killer whales. W%a'. line has altered ecosvstem structure in Antarctica and other places, and thewhaling industry caused profoundecologicaleffects, esneciallv on some oceanic islands. Cetacean entanglement in fishing gear can harm local fisheries, but there is no concrete evidence that they harm fisheriesn other ways In some cases they may benefit fishermen by removing species that could compete for commercially hawestable fish INTRODUCTION Whales and dolphins live and feed in almost every part of the marine environ- ment including the great rivers and their estuaries (Platanistidae), continen- tal shelves (Mysticeti, Phocoenidae), deep ocean canyons (Physetertdae, Ziphiidae), tropical oceans (Delphinidae), and even amidst ice in the Arctic (Monodontidae, Balaenidae) or Antarctic (Mysticeti, Orcintnae). -
Kawamura, A. a Review of Food of Balaenopterid Whales. 155-197
A REVIEW OF FOOD OF BALAENOPTERID WHALES AKITO KAWAMURA Faculty of Fisheries, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Hokkaido ABSTRACT In order to elucidate what species among so many kind of marine organ isms are likely to be consumed largely by the balaenopterid whales, the ex isting evidence on the food habits of baleen whales is reviewed. To meet with this primary purpose the report was mainly focussed on to describe qualitative aspects of food species having been known to date from the notable whaling grounds over the world rather than documenting quantitative subjects.' One of interesting facts noticed throughout the contribution was that there exists fairly intense diversity in the assembly of food species composition by regions such as; northern hemisphere vs. southern hemisphere, Pacific region vs. Atlantic region, inshore waters vs. offshore waters, embayed waters vs. open waters, where the former usually shows more div'ersed complexity than the latter. The fact however suggests that although the composition of food spe cies locally varies over the various whaling grounds, the food organisms as taxonomical groups are very similar one another even in locally isolated whal ing grounds when the food organisms and their assemblies are considered by the family or genus basis. In this connection many evidences given in the text may suggest that the balaenopterid whales as a whole may substantially live on quite simply compositioned forage assembly in comparison with tre mendous variety of organisms existing in the marine ecosystems. One of im portant aspects of the baleen whales food must be found in their characteris tics of forming dense swarms, schools, and/or aggregations in the shallower enough layers to be fed by the whales. -
MYSTICETI - Baleen Whales
click for previous page 40 Marine Mammals of the World 2.3 SUBORDER MYSTICETI - Baleen Whales MYSTICETI There are 4 families of baleen whales. Mysticetes are universally large (with females growing larger than males); the smallest is the pygmy right whale (c 7 m long), and the largest is the blue whale (the largest animal ever to live, up to 33 m or more in length and 160 t in weight). The baleen whales have a double blowhole, a symmetrical skull, and a sternum consisting of a single bone. In the mouth there is baleen (stiff plates of keratin), instead of teeth. Baleen whales are batch feeders, taking in great quantities of water in a single gulp, and then using the fringes on their baleen plates to filter small schooling fish or invertebrates from the water. Nearly all mysticetes make long-range seasonal migrations. 2.3.1 Guide to Families of Baleen Whales BALAENIDAE Right and Bowhead Whales (3 species in 2 genera) p. 42 llll The right and bowhead whales are large and chunky, with heads that comprise up to one-third of their body length. They lack a dorsal fin or any trace of a dorsal ridge. Overall, they tend to be far less streamlined than other baleen whales. Right and bowhead whales have developed a relatively passive skim-feeding technique, and tend to be slower than other whales. The baleen plates are the longest and have the finest fringes of the 4 mysticete families. Viewed in profile, the mouthline is extremely arched and the skull profile is highly convex; all 7 neck vertebrae are fused together.