whalebone whale
–noun | any whale of the suborder Mysticeti, having plates of whalebone on the sides of the upper jaw for filtering plankton from the water. |
Origin: 1715–25
baleen whale
n. Any of several usually large whales of the suborder Mysticeti, such as the right whale and rorquals, having a symmetrical skull, two blowholes, and whalebone plates instead of teeth. Also called mysticete, whalebone whale. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Science Dictionary
baleen whale
Any of several usually large whales of the suborder Mysticeti, having a symmetrical skull with two blowholes and plates of baleen instead of teeth. Baleen whales include the humpback, blue, fin, minke, and right whales, and the rorquals. Compare toothed whale.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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