The Evolutionary History of Baleen Whales
Dailynn Tejeda
Hazleton Area Academy of Sciences
The Evolutionary History of Baleen Whales The baleen whale family houses the largest whales that are currently known to man, leaving many scientists questioning as to how, and why, these whales evolved to become so humungous, when millions of years ago they were much smaller. Questions as to how they evolved to only feed on minuscule prey are also raised when speaking about baleen whale evolution. The evolutionary history of these whales that caused their dramatic enlargement and the change in their prey, was triggered by several different factors: an ice age several million years ago and the seasonal availability of their prey.
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