Mysticeti

Mysticeti is a suborder of the order Cetacea that comprises the baleen whales. Unlike the toothed whales (Odontoceti), mysticetes have baleen plates for feeding and lack functional teeth in adulthood. They typically produce two blowholes and rely on filter feeding to capture prey from large volumes of water.

Members range from the small pygmy right whale to the enormous blue whale, making mysticetes among the largest animals on Earth. Baleen whales feed by taking in water rich in small prey such as krill or schooling fish, then closing the mouth and pushing the water out through baleen plates which trap the prey.

Four families are recognized: Balaenidae (right whales), Balaenopteridae (rorqual whales, including humpback, minke, fin, blue), Eschrichtiidae (gray whale), Neobalaenidae (pygmy right whale). Right whales tend to skim-feed along the surface or feed lazily; rorquals use rapid lunges with open mouths (lunging feeding) during which throat pleats expand to take in large volumes of water; gray and pygmy right whales have different feeding tactics.

Mysticetes inhabit oceans worldwide, with seasonal migrations between high-latitude feeding areas and warmer breeding grounds. Reproduction typically involves gestation around 11-12 months; calves are born after long periods of dependency; calving intervals vary by species and can be 2-3 years in some species.

Many mysticete populations were severely reduced by historic whaling; protections under IUCN, CITES; some species are endangered or vulnerable; threats include ship strikes, entanglement, climate change, and pollution; ongoing conservation and research aim to monitor populations and reduce threats.