types of baleen whales
Types of Baleen Whales and Anatomy. Early baleen whales started appearing about 30 million years ago [source: Carwardine et al. ]. Now, there are 11 types of baleen whales divided into four different families: 1  Family Eschrichtiidae, which is just the gray whale. 2  Family Balaenopoteridae, which includes the humpback, blue, fin, sei, Bryde's and minke whales. 3  These whales are also known as rorqual whales.
â¢ Pygmy Right Whale-Caperea marginata. The pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata) is the smallest, and probably the least known baleen whale species. It has a curved mouth like other right whales, and are thought to feed on copepods and krill. These whales are about 20 feet long and weigh about 5 tons.