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Balaena

Balaena

9.9
A group of large whales with baleen plates that includes the bowhead and right whale
  • noun
  • /bəˈleɪnə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Balaena
  • The Balaena genus includes the bowhead whale as a living representative.

Examples

  • The Balaena genus includes some of the largest whales in the ocean.

  • The bowhead whale is one of the most well-known Balaena species.

  • Scientists study fossils to understand the evolution of Balaena whales.

  • The Balaena species have distinctive baleen plates for filter feeding.

  • The Balaena genus includes some of the largest whales in the ocean.

  • The Balaena species have distinctive baleen plates for filter feeding.

  • The Balaena genus includes the bowhead whale as a living representative.

Surface Forms

Balaena singular
Balaenae plural

Etymology

Balaena comes from an old Latin name and the Greek word phalaina, both meaning 'whale'. So Balaena is the scientific name for a group of large baleen whales, and you can remember it because it is the root of the English word baleen, meaning 'filter plates'.