rorqual: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	Balaenoptera

Photos

Illustration of a minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) with a streamlined dark gray and white body, shown above a silhouette of a scuba diver for scale. Measurement bars indicate the whale can reach up to 10 meters or 33 feet in length.

See All Images and Audio →

Topics

blue whale sei whale fin whale Bryde’s whale minke whale What is the largest animal on Earth?Balaenopteridae

Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names

The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is seen in Switzerland on December 2024

Animal Factoids

The cheetah is the fastest land animal over short distances. It has become an endangered species in Africa, and is almost extinct in Asia. Cheetah mother with young. Cheetah cubs

Moms of the Animal Kingdom Quiz

Lion (panthera leo)

Deadliest Animals Quiz

Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)

Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz