Which whale suborder includes baleen whales?

Which whale suborder includes baleen whales?

• A. Odontoceti
• B. Cetacea
• C. Mysticeti
• D. Balaenidae

Answer: (C)

Whales are grouped by how they feed, which distinguishes baleen feeders from toothed feeders. Baleen whales have baleen plates instead of teeth and filter tiny prey from large volumes of seawater. This feeding adaptation places them in the suborder Mysticeti, the group that includes all baleen whales. The term directly identifies the correct category for baleen whales. The other names refer to different levels or groups: Odontoceti are toothed whales, Cetacea is the broader order containing all whales, and Balaenidae is a family within Mysticeti (the right whales), not the suborder itself.

Whales are grouped by how they feed, which distinguishes baleen feeders from toothed feeders. Baleen whales have baleen plates instead of teeth and filter tiny prey from large volumes of seawater. This feeding adaptation places them in the suborder Mysticeti, the group that includes all baleen whales. The term directly identifies the correct category for baleen whales. The other names refer to different levels or groups: Odontoceti are toothed whales, Cetacea is the broader order containing all whales, and Balaenidae is a family within Mysticeti (the right whales), not the suborder itself.