A bowhead whale (Balaena mesticetus) in Russia's Sea of Okhotsk Tony Wu / Naturepl.comRight and bowhead whales are the largest living animals today. However, a new study on how they evolved suggests that the two closely related groups grew in size independently and for different reasons.They are both balaenids. This is a type that includes the huge blue whale, but they don't look like other baleens. Their bodies are large and have huge heads. They can also take up as much as a third of their body's length.
