Rorquals

Rorquals () are the largest group of baleen whales, comprising the family Balaenopteridae, which contains nine extant species in two genera. They include the largest animal ever known to have lived, the blue whale, which can reach 180 tonnes (200 short tons), and the fin whale, which reaches 120 tonnes (130 short tons); the smallest of the group, the northern minke whale, reaches 9 tonnes (10 short tons).

Rorquals take their name from French rorqual, which derives from the Norwegian word røyrkval: the first element røyr originated from the Old Norse name for this type of whale, reyðr, probably related to the Norse word, and the Icelandic word "reyr", for "reed", referring to the "Baleen hair" that is inside the mouth of these whales. The second element relates to the Norse word hvalr meaning "whale" in general. The family name Balaenopteridae is from the type genus, Balaenoptera.