Mysticeti: Maximum Length (meters)

The blue whale is not only the largest animal on the planet — it is the largest living creature ever recorded in Earth’s history, reaching up to 27 metres in length. The fin whale follows at 22 metres, and the North Atlantic right whale, despite its considerable weight, has a maximum length of 18 metres. The minke whale is the smallest Mysticeti at just 10 metres. By comparison, the largest Odontoceti — the sperm whale — reaches 18 metres, approaching the size of medium-sized baleen whales.

Chart data (Maximum length in meters):

References (with links)

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• NMFS (2009). Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) Canadian East Coast stock. Marine Mammal Stock Status Report. https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/2021-07/f2020_AtlGmexSARs_MinkeWhale.pdf (siehe M2-Hinweis zur aktuellen SAR-Ausgabe)
• Fortune, S. M. E. et al. (2021). Body growth of North Atlantic right whales revisited. Mar Mamm Sci 37: 433–447. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12753
• Eubalaena glacialis (Müller, 1776) in GBIF Secretariat (2023). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei
• Shefferly, N. (1999). “Balaenoptera borealis” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Balaenoptera_borealis/
• O’Grady, J. (2014). “Balaenoptera edeni” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Balaenoptera_edeni/
• MBM (2021). Fichas de identificação de cetáceos no Arquipélago da Madeira. 66p. (keine URL gefunden)
• Freitas, L., Dinis, A., Alves, F., Nóbrega, F. (2004). Cetáceos No Arquipélago Da Madeira. Museu da Baleia, Funchal. (keine URL gefunden)