There are lots of fun facts about baleen whales. Did you know that?

• Baleen whales, also as called whalebone whales and great whales, are one of two suborders of Cetacea. Toothed whales are the other kind.
• Baleen whales differ from toothed whales in five important ways. 1. Baleen Whales have come-like plates, called baleen, rather than teeth. 2. Baleen whales have two blowholes whereas toothed whales only have one. 3. Baleen whales are larger than most toothed whales. 4. Baleen whales live alone or in small groups rather than pods. 5. Baleen whales don't use echolocation they rely on sound.
• The baleen whale gets its name from the comb-like curtain, called baleen, that hangs from its upper jaw and traps food in the same way as a strainer.
• Baleen whales can reach 110 feet (33.5 m) in length and weigh as much as 420,000 pounds (190,000 kg). The Blue Whale is the largest species of baleen whale and largest animal to ever have existed.
• Baleen whales use sound for communication, navigation and orientation. Repeating sounds called songs are made only by males.
• While baleen whales have different habitats, some prefer open waters others live along the coast, most species migrate twice a year. Baleen whales feed in the polar regions in summer and calve in tropical waters in winter.
• There are three families of baleen whales; right whales, rorqual whales, and gray whales. The right whale was the first species of baleen whale to develop; it came on the scene 25 million years ago. The gray whale, only 2 million years old, was the last to appear.
• Baleen whales were once hunted for two things; oil and baleen. Whale oil was used to make margarine and other cooking oils. Baleen, or whalebone, was once used to make ladies' combs, stiffen corsets and even parasols.