Rostrum of skull very long, narrow and curved. Nasal bones large, broad and oblong. Sternum broad and irregularly triangular. Scapula broader than high. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 14, lumbars 11 (10–12), caudals 23 (–26). Total, 55 (–57). Habitat: in temperate waters in both hemispheres.
BOWHEAD, GREENLAND RIGHT WHALE
Balæna mysticetus (Linn.)
Form massive. Head enormous, exceeding one-third the total length of the whale. Upper jaw greatly arched to accommodate the long whalebone. No “bonnet.” Blowholes elevated and followed by a deep concavity over the “neck.” No ventral furrows and no dorsal fin. The color is black, with some white about the throat and lower lips. The whalebone is black, long and very elastic; in some individuals it reaches a length of 14 feet. Greatest length, 65 feet.
Rostrum of skull long, narrow and remarkably arched. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 12, lumbars 14, caudals 22. Total, 55. Habitat: Arctic waters only; not found in Antarctic.
CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE, DEVILFISH
Rhachianectes glaucus (Cope)
Form robust. Upper jaw moderately arched. Two to four furrows on throat. No dorsal fin. The color is black, or very dark slate, thickly marked about the snout, lips, chin and jaws with white flecks and small spots. On the sides, breast and belly are many roughly elliptical, irregular grayish markings and white circular spots which are apparently the scars left by barnacles. The amount of white varies greatly with individuals, but is seldom entirely absent. The pectoral fins and flukes are black on both surfaces, with scattered white spots and circles. Average size, 40 feet; maximum size, 49 feet.
Skull with a broad strip of frontal exposed upon the vertex. Nasals very long and broad. Cervical vertebræ all free. Anterior ribs with tubercles, necks and heads. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 14, lumbars 12, caudals 23. Total, 56. Habitat: North Pacific Ocean only.
SPERM WHALE, CACHALOT
Physeter macrocephalus (Linn.)
Size large and form massive. Head blunt. A single S-shaped blowhole at the end of the snout. Forty to 50 teeth in lower jaw. No functional teeth in upper jaw. A prominent “hump” on the back.
The color is slate gray, with some white about the lower jaw and snout, which is crossed in every direction by long white lines (scars). White or gray patches are usually found about the umbilicus. Greatest length, 70 feet.