a female killed off the waters of Pond Inlet in the 1800s allegedly measured 19.8 m. Some estimates put the total maximum length higher at about 20 m. The length of the baleen plates of this individual was measured to be 3.2 m. The maximum reliable length of the female is currently believed to be about 19 m, while the maximum length of the male is thought to be 16 - 17 m. The longest whale measured in photographs was 17.57 m.

Analysis of hundreds of DNA samples from living whales and from baleen used