SPECIES OF MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC AKEA 127 



and porpoises, especially if accompanied by photographs and 

 skulls, are very desirable. 



Whalebone Whales. Suborder Mysticeti 



Whalebone whales have no teeth, although there are rudi- 

 ments formed in the embryo. In the place of teeth the upper 

 jaw has developed rows of horny, fringe-like whalebone which 

 function as a sieve. The mouth opens wide and a great quantity 

 of water is taken in. The mouth is then closed and the water 

 forced out through the whalebone by the tongue, leaving the 

 small fish and shrimp-like animals caught by the sieve to be 

 swallowed. 



The Pacific Right Whale {Euhalcena), both southern and 

 northern species, has the body tapered gradually to the base 

 of the tail. The head occupies about one-fourth of the total 

 length, which is about fifty feet in adults. These whales have 

 no throat grooves nor do they have a dorsal fin (compare with 

 the finback whales). 



The northern right whale is almost restricted to the waters 

 north of the fortieth parallel, and although usually found far 

 from shore, is taken off the coasts of Japan, Kamchatka, and 

 the coast of Alaska. 



The southern right whale is found largely between thirty and 

 fifty degrees south latitude ; in the Pacific it has been taken in 

 numbers off southern Australia, near New Zealand, and off the 

 coast of Chile. Other records are rare. 



The Bowhead or Greenland Right Whale {Balcena) is more 

 massive than the other right whales. The head occupies about 

 one-third of the total length, which in adults is from fifty to 

 sixty feet. The head is thicker and more arched in dorsal pro- 

 file than the northern and southern right whales, and the body 

 tapers less regularly to the base of the tail. The bowhead is 

 found in the Arctic Ocean and in the Bering and Okhotsk Seas, 

 but it may range south of these last two regions in the winter. 

 This species is now rare. 



