5 Bountiful Blue Whale Facts

“Whale” is a common name for a variety of large marine mammals. The Latin word cetus gives the whale species its scientific title, Cetacea. Whales come in two categories of Cetacea. The largest, Mysticeti, are characterized by sieve-like, baleen structures in their upper jaw that they use to filter food from the seawater. The other category, Odontoceti, has teeth, such as sperm whales and orcas. Not surprisingly, blue whales fall within the large baleen parvorder of Mysticeti. Here are 10 of our favorite facts about this largest but little-seen whale species.