BALAENOPTERIDAE
Rorquals
Ten species in two genera:
Balaenoptera and
Megaptera.
Balaenoptera
Nine species, of which seven are represented in the Zoochat galleries.
Common Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Two named subspecies in the Northern Hemisphere (
acutorostrata and
scammoni) and an unnamed form in the Southern Hemisphere (the Dwarf Minke).
Photo by
@Maguari in the wild, UK (North Atlantic subspecies
acutorostrata).
North Atlantic Minke Whale off Staithes, 15th September 2023 - ZooChat
Photo by
@DaLilFishie in the wild, Australia (Dwarf Minke).
Dwarf Minke Whale - ZooChat
Southern or Antarctic Minke Whale Balaenoptera bonaerensis
Monotypic. Formerly considered conspecific with
B. acutorostrata.
There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.
Sei Whale Balaenoptera borealis
Two subspecies:
borealis and
schlegelii.
Both photos below by
@Giant Eland in the wild, USA (northern subspecies
borealis).
sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) - ZooChat
sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) - ZooChat
Photo by
@WhistlingKite24 in the wild, New Zealand (southern subspecies
schlegelii).
Sei Whale - ZooChat
Bryde's Whale Balaenoptera brydei
Monotypic. Formerly (or still, depending on author) treated as conspecific with
B. edeni.
Photo by
@aardvark250 in the wild, South Africa.
Bryde's whale - ZooChat
Eden's Whale Balaenoptera edeni
Monotypic. If lumped with Bryde's Whale then two subspecies,
brydei and
edeni.
Both photos below by
@MegalodonEric in the wild, China.
Bryde's whale/Balaenoptera edeni - ZooChat
Bryde's whale/Balaenoptera edeni - ZooChat
Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus
Three or four subspecies:
brevicauda, indica, intermedia, musculus.
Photo by
@chrisroughley in the wild, Sri Lanka (subspecies
brevicauda, known as the Pygmy Blue Whale).
Blue whale - ZooChat
Photo by
@Giant Eland in the wild, USA (Northern Hemisphere subspecies
musculus).
Whale Watching, Long Beach, CA 2011 blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) - ZooChat
Omura's Whale Balaenoptera omurai
Monotypic. Formerly treated as being conspecific with
B. brydei / edeni.
Both photos below by
@Therabu in the wild, Madagascar.
Omura's whale (Balaenoptera omurai) - ZooChat
Omura's whale (Balaenoptera omurai) - ZooChat
Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus
Three subspecies:
physalus, quoyi, velifera.
Taxonomic note: a fourth subspecies,
B. p. patachonica, is based on a single specimen.
Photo by
@Merintia in the wild, Spain (North Atlantic subspecies
physalus).
Fin Whale - ZooChat
Photo by
@Pleistohorse in the wild, USA (North Pacific subspecies
velifera).
Fin Whale - Alaska - ZooChat
Rice's Whale Balaenoptera ricei
Monotypic.
Taxonomic note: restricted to the Gulf of Mexico and only described as a distinct species in 2021. Formerly treated as being conspecific with
B. brydei / edeni.
There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.