Dead Stranded Mysticetes in Maryland Since 1990

Humpback Whale - Adults can reach 52 feet in length and can weigh 40 tons. They are black in color with white on their throat and belly. This whale has wide throat grooves and long flippers that are one-third of the whales body length. A series of fleshy knobs is present on the rostrum and lower lip. Their diet consists of small schooling fish (herring, sand lance, capelin) and krill. This species is endangered.

Minke Whale - This is the smallest baleen whale in the North Atlantic. Adults can reach 33 feet in length and weigh 10 tons. They are black or dark steel-gray with a lighter underside and a broad white band on both flippers. Ventral throat grooves extend to the navel. Their diet consists of schooling fish (herring, capelin, sand lance, cod, macherel), squid and zooplankton. This species is still commercially harvested in other countries.

Fin Whale - This is the second largest whale reaching lengths of 79feet and weighing up to 70 tons. They are dark gray with a light underside. The lower right jaw is white and lower left is dark. This whale has a flattened head with a long sleek body. Their ventral throat grooves extend to their navel. Their diet consists of small schooling fish (herring, capelin, sand lance), squid, and planktonic crustaceans. This species is endangered.

Northern Right Whale- Adults can reach 56 feet in length and weigh up to 60 tons. They are black with varying amounts of white on the chin and belly. They lack a dorsal fin and have large paddle-shaped flippers. The lower jaw and rostrum are often covered with callosities-raised roughened patches of skin-that usually appear white or cream-colored. They do not have ventral grooves. Northern right whales are exclusively plankton feeders, eating copepods and krill. This species is the most endangered whale in the world, with less than 300 individuals remaining in the North Atlantic Ocean.