carnivorous marine mammals. They include 15 species from the families
Balaenidae (including right whales), Cetotheriidae (the pygmy right
whale), Eschrichtiidae (the gray whale), and Balaenopteridae (the
rorquals, including the blue whale, the largest animal on earth).
Cetaceans were thought to have descended from the extinct mesonychids,
but molecular evidence supports their descent from even-toed ungulates.
Baleen whales split from toothed whales around 34 million years ago. The
meat, blubber, baleen, and oil of baleen whales have traditionally been
used by the indigenous peoples of the Arctic. Once relentlessly hunted
by commercial industries for these products, cetaceans are now protected
by international law, but Japan, Norway and Iceland continue to catch
whales for various purposes. Baleen whales also face threats from marine
pollution, ocean acidification, collisions with ships, and entanglement
in nets. Sonar can cause strandings and disrupt their communication.
They have rarely survived for long in captivity.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baleen_whale>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
663:
The Daming Palace (reconstructed gate pictured) became the
government seat and royal residence of the Tang empire during Emperor
Gaozong's reign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daming_Palace>
1257:
Kraków in Poland received city rights based on the Magdeburg
law.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w>
1899:
Antonio Luna was assassinated in the midst of the
Philippine–American War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Luna>
1941:
Second Sino-Japanese War: During one sortie in a five-year
bombing campaign on Chongqing, 4,000 people died of asphyxiation when
the tunnel they were hiding in became blocked.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Chongqing>
1976:
The Teton Dam in eastern Idaho, US, collapsed as its reservoir
was being filled for the first time, resulting in the deaths of eleven
people and 13,000 cattle, and causing up to $2 billion in damage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teton_Dam>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
geocide:
The destruction of the earth, its ecosystems, or some part thereof, due
to human activity.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/geocide>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Once we realize we are all members of humanity, we will want to
compete in the spirit of love. In a competition of love we would not be
running against one another, but with one another. We would be trying to
gain victory for all humanity. If I am a faster runner than you, you may
feel bad seeing me pass you in the race, but if you know that we are
both racing to make our world better, you will feel good knowing that we
are racing toward a common goal, a mutual reward. In a competition of
love we'll all share in the victory, no matter who comes first.
--Muhammad Ali
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali>
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