Which whale family is known as the rorquals?

Balaenopteridae is the whale family known as the rorquals.

Rorquals are baleen whales distinguished by longitudinal grooves, or pleats, running along the throat and underside. Those folds let the mouth and throat expand dramatically during feeding. The family includes the blue whale, fin whale, sei whale, Bryde’s whale, minke whales, and humpback whale.

The family name comes from Balaenoptera, the principal rorqual genus. “Rorqual” itself passed into English through French from Scandinavian whale terminology. Rorquals are generally more streamlined than right whales and usually capture prey by lunging into dense patches of krill or schooling fish, then forcing water back out through their baleen.

The main quiz trap is Balaenidae, which contains right whales and the bowhead whale. Both families are baleen-bearing mysticetes, but their feeding styles and body shapes differ. The blue whale, the largest known animal, is a rorqual rather than a right whale.