The taxonomic family of true whales that includes right whales and bowhead whales, characterized by baleen plates for filter feeding.
From Latin 'balaena' (whale) plus the scientific family suffix '-idae'. This formal taxonomic name places these whales in their own distinct family within cetaceans.
The Balaenidae family has survived for millions of years, but now their largest species, the North Atlantic right whale, has only about 350 individuals left in the wild—making them one of Earth's most critically endangered large animals.
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