baleen whale

[ buh-leen hweyl, weyl ]

noun

1. any whale of the suborder Mysticeti, having plates of baleen on the sides of the upper jaw for filtering plankton from the water.

baleen whale

noun

1. See whalebone whale
   another name for whalebone whale

baleen whale

1. Any of several usually large whales of the suborder Mysticeti, having a symmetrical skull with two blowholes and plates of baleen instead of teeth. Baleen whales include the humpback, blue, fin, minke, and right whales, and the rorquals.
2. Compare toothed whale

Word History and Origins

Origin of baleen whale¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

On average, baleen whales eat about three times as much food as earlier estimates had suggested.

From Science News For Students

A new study finds that baleen whales, including blue and humpback whales, eat on average three times as much krill and other food as previously thought, and more food in means more poop out.

From Science News

It turns out that, on average, baleen whales eat about three times as much food as earlier estimates suggested.

From Science News

One study from 2010, for example, suggests that the feces of baleen whales is rich in iron, which can seed blooms of phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean.

From Vox

Found in Russia’s immense Lake Baikal, the Siberian mammals devour tiny marine crustaceans, likely using comblike teeth in a manner similar to how baleen whales feed, a new study finds.

From Science News

Fin whales are one of the most common baleen whale species in the world and constitute a major portion of the whaling catch.

From Project Gutenberg