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The family Balaenidae, the right whales, contains two genera and four species. All right whales have no ventral grooves; a distinctive head shape with a strongly arched, narrow rostrum, bowed lower jaw; lower lips that enfold the sides and front of the rostrum; and long, narrow, elastic baleen plates (up to nine times longer than wide) with fine baleen fringes.
The hunting of whales on an industrial scale began in the 17th century and into the 20th century, and as a result of the quantities caught many whales became endangered species. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) banned commercial whaling in 1986 to increase the remaining whale population in the seas.
[1] 56% of all evaluated mammalian species are listed as least concern. The IUCN also lists 127 mammalian subspecies as least concern. Of the subpopulations of mammals evaluated by the IUCN, one species subpopulation has been assessed as least concern. This is a complete list of least concern mammalian species and subspecies evaluated by the IUCN.
Some cetaceans may forage with other kinds of animals, such as other species of whales or certain species of pinnipeds. [75] [76] Large whales, such as mysticetes, are not usually subject to predation, but smaller whales, such as monodontids or ziphiids, are. These species are preyed on by the orca.
[131]: 327–333 Several species that were commercially exploited have rebounded in numbers; for example, gray whales may be as numerous as they were prior to whaling, making it the first marine mammal to be taken off the endangered species list. [138]
The second-largest whale species after blue whales, fin whales are classified as endangered species, according to NOAA. A fully grown whale can reach up to 85 feet long and weigh between 40 and 80 ...
North Atlantic right whales have been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act since 1970, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Latest estimates suggest ...
The baiji, for example, is considered functionally extinct by IUCN, with the last sighting in 2004, due to heavy pollution to the Yangtze River. Whales sometimes feature in literature and film, as in the great white sperm whale of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick. Small odontocetes, mainly dolphins, are kept in captivity and trained to perform tricks.