Rorqual

Rorquals (/ˈrɔːrkwəlz/) are the largest group of baleen whales, which comprise the family Balaenopteridae, containing ten extant species in three genera. They include the largest animal that has ever lived, the blue whale, which can reach 180 tonnes (200 short tons), and the fin whale, which reaches 120 tonnes (130 short tons); even 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 for "red", and the second from the Norse word hvalr meaning "whale" in general. The family name Balaenopteridae is from the type genus, Balaenoptera.