Main Page

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Welcome to Wikipedia,
5,167,448 articles in English

From today's featured article

Humpback whale breaching

Baleen whales are a widely distributed and diverse parvorder of 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. (Full article...)

Did you know...

Portrait of Alexander Mornauer, National Gallery, London
Portrait of Alexander Mornauer, National Gallery, London

In the news

On this day...

June 5: World Environment Day; Feast day of Saint Boniface (Christianity); Father's Day and Constitution Day in Denmark; Yom Yerushalayim in Israel (2016)

Danfeng Gate, Daming Palace
Danfeng Gate, Daming Palace

Today's featured picture

Male Panorpa alpina scorpionfly

The Panorpidae are a family of scorpionflies. This family contains more than 350 species. These insects, which average 9–25 mm long, have four membranous wings and threadlike antennae. Their elongated faces terminate with jaws that are used to feed on dead and dying insects, nectar, and rotting fruit. While in larval form, they scavenge by consuming dead insects on the ground.

Pictured here is a Panorpa alpina male.

Photograph: Luc Viatour

Other areas of Wikipedia

  • Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
  • Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
  • Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
  • Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
  • Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.

Wikipedia's sister projects

Wikipedia is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other projects: