''Balaenoptera'' () is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of rorquals containing eight extant

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

. ''Balaenoptera'' comprises all but two of the extant species in its family (the

humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hu ...

and gray whale); the genus is currently

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of conver ...

, with the two aforementioned species being phylogenetically nested within it. This genus is known in the

fossil record A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s from the Neogene to the Quaternary (13.65 million years ago to the present). Balaenopteridae - Balaenoptera acutorostrata cuvieri

Taxonomy and systematics

The genus ''Balaenoptera'' contains the following extant species and subspecies: *

Common minke whale The common minke whale or northern minke whale (''Balaenoptera acutorostrata'') is a species of minke whale within the suborder of baleen whales. It is the smallest species of the rorquals and the second smallest species of baleen whale. Althoug ...

(''Balaenoptera acutorostrata'') **

North Atlantic minke whale The common minke whale or northern minke whale (''Balaenoptera acutorostrata'') is a species of minke whale within the suborder of baleen whales. It is the smallest species of the rorquals and the second smallest species of baleen whale. Althou ...

(''Balaenoptera acutorostrata acutorostrata'') **

North Pacific minke whale The common minke whale or northern minke whale (''Balaenoptera acutorostrata'') is a species of minke whale within the suborder of baleen whales. It is the smallest species of the rorquals and the second smallest species of baleen whale. Althou ...

(''Balaenoptera acutorostrata scammoni'') *

Antarctic minke whale The Antarctic minke whale or southern minke whale (''Balaenoptera bonaerensis'') is a species of minke whale within the suborder of baleen whale Baleen whales ( systematic name Mysticeti), also known as whalebone whales, are a parvorder of ...

(''Balaenoptera bonaerensis'') * Sei whale (''Balaenoptera borealis'') ** Northern sei whale (''Balaenoptera borealis borealis'') ** Southern sei whale (''Balaenoptera borealis schlegelii'') * Bryde's whale (''Balaenoptera edeni'') **

Offshore Bryde's whale Offshore may refer to: Science and technology * Offshore (hydrocarbons) * Offshore construction, construction out at sea * Offshore drilling, discovery and development of oil and gas resources which lie underwater through drilling a well * Off ...

(''Balaenoptera brydei'' or ''Balaenoptera edeni brydei'') (taxonomy disputed) ** Eden's whale (''Balaenoptera edeni edeni'') *

Blue whale The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can ...

(''Balaenoptera musculus'') **

Northern blue whale Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

(''Balaenoptera musculus musculus'') **

Antarctic blue whale The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other l ...

(''Balaenoptera musculus intermedia'') **

Northern Indian Ocean blue whale Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

(''Balaenoptera musculus indica'') ** Pygmy blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda'') *

Omura's whale Omura's whale or the dwarf fin whale (''Balaenoptera omurai'') is a species of rorqual about which very little is known. Before its formal description, it was referred to as a small, dwarf or pygmy form of Bryde's whale by various sources. The c ...

(''Balaenoptera omurai'') *

Fin whale The fin whale (''Balaenoptera physalus''), also known as finback whale or common rorqual and formerly known as herring whale or razorback whale, is a cetacean belonging to the parvorder of baleen whales. It is the second-longest species of ce ...

(''Balaenoptera physalus'') ** Pygmy fin whale (''Balaenoptera physalus patachonica'') ** North Atlantic fin whale (''Balaenoptera physalus physalus'') ** Southern fin whale (''Balaenoptera physalus quoyi'') ** North Pacific fin whale (''Balaenoptera physalus velifera'') * Rice's whale (''Balaenoptera ricei'')

Fossil species

Many fossil ''Balaenoptera'' species have been described. Some (namely ''B. borealina'', ''B. definata'', ''B. emarginata'', ''B. gibbosa'', ''B. rostratella'', and ''B. sibbaldina'') are either nondiagnostic, highly fragmentary, or had no

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of sever ...

specimen named, hence are considered '' nomina dubia''.M. Bisconti. 2007. A new basal balaenopterid whale from the Pliocene of northern Italy. Palaeontology 50(5):1103-1122 The valid fossil species of ''Balaenoptera'' are: * †'' Balaenoptera bertae'' is a relatively small species from the

Upper Miocene The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million years ago) to 5.333 Ma. The ev ...

to Upper Pliocene Purisima Formation of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

.Boessenecker, Robert W. "A new marine vertebrate assemblage from the Late Neogene Purisima Formation in Central California, part II: Pinnipeds and Cetaceans." Geodiversitas 35.4 (2012): 815-940. * †'' Balaenoptera cephalus'' was originally thought to be a species of '' Eschrichtius'' (gray whales) or ''

Cetotherium ''Cetotherium'' ("whale beast") is an extinct genus of baleen whales from the family Cetotheriidae. Taxonomy The family Cetotheriidae and the genus ''Cetotherium'' (sensu lato) have been used as wastebaskets for all kinds of baleen whales, mo ...

'', but more recent analysis shows it to be a member of ''Balaenoptera''.R. E. Weems and L. E. Edwards. 2007. The age and provenance of "Eschrichtius" cephalus Cope (Mammalia: Cetacea). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27(3):752-756 Fossils of the species were found in the

Calvert Formation The Calvert Formation is a geologic formation in Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware. It preserves fossils dating back to the early to middle Miocene epoch of the Neogene period. The formation is a destination for amateur fossil hunters as well as ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

.''Balaenoptera cephalus''
at Fossilworks.org * †'' Balaenoptera colcloughi'' is known from four specimens, including four skulls and some postcranial remains, found at the San Diego Formation. It was a close relative of ''

Megaptera novaeangliae The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The humpb ...

'' (the humpback whale), ''B. siberi'', and ''B. physalus'' (the fin whale).Martin. (2014)
From Finbacks to Humpbacks: Investigation of the Evolutionary History of Balaenopteridae
. * †''"Balaenoptera" cortesii'' is a small species based on a juvenile specimen from Montezago; it probably represents a distinct, unnamed genus of balaenopterid. * †'' Balaenoptera davidsonii'', like ''B. cephalus'', was originally classified under '' Eschrichtius'', but it has since been moved to ''Balaenoptera''. It was native to the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58San Diego Formation of California.''Balaenoptera davidsonii''
at Fossilworks.org The only known fossil of ''B. davidsonii'' is a fragment of the left

dentary In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone ...

.T. Demere. 1986. The fossil whale, Balaenoptera davidsonii (Cope 1872), with a review of other Neogene species of Balaenoptera (Cetacea: Mysticeti). Marine Mammal Science 2(4):277-298 * †''"Balaenoptera" portisi'' is based on MGPT 13803 from Montafia (originally assigned to ''B. cortesii'' by Portis 885, and may be the same genus or species as '' Cetotheriophanes capellinii''. The species ''"B. floridana"'' is indistinguishable from ''"B." portisi''. * †'' "Balaenoptera" ryani'' is a valid species but is not in fact a species of ''Balaenoptera''. It probably represents a distinct genus of basal balaenopterid. * †''

Balaenoptera siberi Balaenoptera siberi is an extinct species of baleen whale from the Late Miocene, described by Pilleri and Pilleri in 1989, based on fossils found in the Pisco Formation of the Pisco Basin in southwestern Peru.Demeré et al., 2005, p.115 Descri ...

'' is known from two complete skeletons. Its affinity with the genus ''Balaenoptera'' has been questioned.M. Bosselaers and K. Post. 2010. A new fossil rorqual (Mammalia, Cetacea, Balaenopteridae) from the Early Pliocene of the North Sea, with a review of the rorqual species described by Owen and Van Beneden. Geodiversitas 32(2):331-363 * †'' Balaenoptera sursiplana'' is a fragmentary species, based on a single fossilized

tympanic bone The tympanic part of the temporal bone is a curved plate of bone lying below the squamous part of the temporal bone, in front of the mastoid process, and surrounding the external part of the ear canal. It originates as a separate bone (tympanic ...

.E. D. Cope. 1895. Fourth contribution to the marine fauna of the Miocene period of the United States. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 34:135-155 * †'' Balaenoptera taiwanica'' is named after

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, where the fossil was found in the Pliocene-aged Cholan Formation.''Balaenoptera taiwanica''
at Fossilworks.org ''B. taiwanica'' is also based on a single

, which is similar to that of ''B. physalus'', the

fin whale The fin whale (''Balaenoptera physalus''), also known as finback whale or common rorqual and formerly known as herring whale or razorback whale, is a cetacean belonging to the parvorder of baleen whales. It is the second-longest species of ce ...

.T. Huang. 1966. A new species of a whale tympanic bone from Taiwan, China. Transactions and Proceedings of the Paleontological Society of Japan 61:183-187

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q133320 Baleen whales Cetacean genera Extant Miocene first appearances Taxa named by Bernard Germain de Lacépède