• geometric morphometric
• Balaenoptera
• 3D scanner
• skull

Growth-related morphological changes in the skulls of an ontogenetic series of 11 North Pacific common minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata were investigated using a laser surface 3D scanner. This is the first study to investigate developmental changes in skull morphology of baleen whales using a laser surface 3D scanner and based on the results obtained, this method will be very useful in future studies, including taxonomy and paleontology. Measurements were taken at 29 points on the skull to extract individual allometric equations relating the length and zygomatic width of the skull. The results revealed that to the anatomical portions involved in feeding, such as the rostrum, increased in size relative to the entire skull after birth. In contrast, the sensory organs and the anatomical regions involved in neurological function, such as the orbit, tympanic bullae, and foramen magnum, were fully developed at birth, and their relative size reduced over the course of development.