Balaenopteridae - blue whale, fin whale, humpback whale, minke whale
There are six species of baleen whales in this family. This family is also known as the rorqual whales. Rorqual is a Norwegian word for furrow. The whales in this family have furrows in their skin that run from their lower mouth to their stomach. They vary in size from the 25-30 foot long minke whale to the 65-90 foot blue whale. They filter feed on krill and other small crustaceans and ocean creatures. Most of the species in this family live in open ocean waters. In the winter, they breed in temperate ocean waters. In the summer, they migrate to cold polar waters that are rich in krill and plankton. Species in this family include: the minke whale, the sei whale, the blue whale, the fin whale, the humpback whale, and Bryde's whale.
Endangered in N.H.
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Threatened in N.H.
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Introduced
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Endangered in U.S.
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Threatened in U.S.
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