Baleen Whale, Rorqual

Object Details

Discipline

Vertebrate Zoology

Description

This object is part of the Education and Outreach collection, some of which are in the Q?rius science education center and available to see.

This item is an ear wax plug from the Rorqual (Balaenopteridae) family of whales. Rorquals are the largest group of baleen whales (whales with baleen plates that serve as teeth, which help them feed on tiny plankton). Examples of species in the Rorqual family include: Antarctic minke; Blue whale; Bryde's whale; Eden's whale; Fin whale; Humpback whale; Northern minke; and the Sei whale. These whales build up the wax in their ear canals over time, which creates the earplug. The earplugs can be used as an aging tool, as indicators of the specimen's health and stress levels, and as indicators of the health of the specimen's ecosystem, through chemical markers that are present in the earwax. This specimen is kept in Ethanol alcohol in a glass jar. The smallest specimen measures approximately 10 cm x 4 cm x 1.5 cm in size, while the largest measures 13 cm x 4 cm x 1.5 cm in size.

Number of objects in this record

5

Record Last Modified

6 Mar 2024

USNM Number

EO401761

Object Type

Education and Outreach collections

Sex

?

Collecting Locality

Locality unknown.

Scientific Name

Balaenopteridae

See more items in

Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center

Taxonomy

Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Tetrapoda, Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Mysticeti, Balaenopteridae

Topic

Education & Outreach

Record ID

nmnheducation_13081984

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/356def12c-af45-44c0-9e52-b9e8abb7edbf