blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) Fig. 1. Rorqualus major. Greater Rorqual. = blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
Fig. 2. Pelvic bones enlarged.
Fig. 3. Rorqualus minor. Lesser Rorqual. = Antarctic minke whale or southern minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)
Title: Transactions and proceedings of the New Zealand Institute
Year: 1868 (1860s)
Authors: New Zealand Institute (Wellington, N.Z)
Subjects: Science Birds
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transactions_and_proceedings_of_the_New_Zealand_Institute_(1869)_(14746712621).jpg
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal belonging to the baleen whales (Mysticeti). It is the largest animal known to have ever existed. Blue whales were abundant in nearly all the oceans on Earth but their numbers have been greatly reduced due to whaling.
The Antarctic minke whale or southern minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) is a species of minke whale within the suborder of baleen whales. It is the second smallest rorqual after the common minke whale and the third smallest baleen whale.
