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Balaenoptera bonaerensis
(Antarctic minke whale)
Life
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Eukaryotes >
Opisthokonta >
Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia >
Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates) >
Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost
fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class:
Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) > Stegocephalia
(terrestrial vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota >
Synapsida (mammal-like reptiles) > Therapsida > Theriodontia
> Cynodontia > Mammalia (mammals)
> Placentalia (placental mammals) >
Laurasiatheria > Ferungulata > Cetartiodactyla (even-toed ungulates and
cetaceans) > Whippomorpha > Cetacea (whales, dolphins and
porpoises) > Family: Balaenopteridae (rorquals)
Minke’s are medium sized baleen whales of about
8 metres in length and weighing in between 5 800 and 7 200
kilograms. It has a small dorsal fin situated towards the tail,
throat grooves and is bluish grey in colour, again, with the colour
becoming lighter towards the underside. They have an indistinct,
fuzzy blow.
Text by Derek Ohland |
