Balaenoptera, from the Latin
balaena (whale) and
pteron (fin), is a genus of Balaenopteridae, the
rorquals, and contains eight extant
species. The species
Balaenoptera omurai was published in 2003.
Balaenoptera is a diverse genus and comprises all but one of the extant species in its family - the other species is the
humpback whale,
Megaptera novaeangliae.