RIGHT WHALE
				Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Chordata Mammalia Cetacea Balenidae

The Greenland right whale, also known as the bowhead, is one of five species of the right whale. Aggressively hunted during the Middle Ages, it nearly became extinct in the 1800s. Because this species nearly died off completely, it is currently a protected species.

It is interesting how the right whale received its name. In the early days of whaling, this species was the considered the "right" whale to catch, because they are slow swimmers, and when killed, they will stay afloat for long periods of time, due to its thick blubber. This gave the whalers time to reel them in.

Right whales are baleen whales. They have much longer baleen plates in
their mouths than their cousins, the rorquals. The right whale grows to
about 60 feet (18 m). They feed by swimming with their mouths open, so the
baleen plates can act as a sieve to trap krill and other small animals.