FACTS ABOUT WHALES

FACTS ABOUT WHALES

1. Whales belong to the order cetacean.
2. The order cetacean includes dolphins and porpoises in addition to whales. 
3. There are two whales - Baleen whales and toothed whales.

Baleen whale

4. Baleen whales have a baleen, on the upper jaw to           filter plankton,  small fish and crustaceans. 
5. Baleen whales have two blowholes, while toothed           whales have only one.
6. Baleen whales are the largest species of whale. 
7. All whales are very noisy. They squeak, moan,                 groan, and sigh to talk to each other. These                     underwater sounds can travel great distances. The         sounds they make are called “Whale Song.” 
8. Many whales, especially baleen whales, tend to                                                                  migrate.
9. Toothed whales often hunt in groups, migrate together and share young-rearing           duties.
10. Sperm Whales Sleep Standing Up
11. Toothed whales have teeth and feed on fish, squid, other whales and marine                 mammals. 
12. Whales sense their surrounding through echolocation.
13. Whales are mammals, and as such, they have hair—though very little of it!
14. Whales breathe air 
15. They are warm-blooded and feed their young  with milk
16. Beneath the skin of whales lies a layer of fat called blubber. 
17. The blubber serves as an energy reservoir.
18. Whales breathe through blowholes, located on the top of the head so the animal         can remain submerged. 
19. The Blue Whale is the largest mammal and they grow up to 110 feet long and 150         weighs up to tons.
20. Whales communicate with each other using lyrical sounds. 
21. Whales do not undergo deep sleep, since they need to be conscious to break the         surface in order to breathe.
22. The most famous story about whales is Moby Dick. Moby Dick is a novel                         released in 1851 by Herman Melville
23. Some Whales Imitate Human Speech

Toothed whale

24. Whales do not drink seawater; instead, they                     extract water from their food by metabolizing the             fat
25. Gestation period of whales are: 9-15 months,                   depending on the species.
26. Whales live in large groups called “pods.” A baby           whale is called a “calf.”
27. Nursing time of the calf (baby whale) is up to one           year which is sufficient for a strong bond between         mothers and young. 
28. Whaling (whale hunting) is one of the biggest threats to whales
29. Sea level rise and changes in sea temperature is another threat to whales. They          may not be able to adapt quickly enough to survive.
30. Exposure to contaminants and pollution also threaten whales.
31.  Scientists also believe that underwater sonar testing by the navies of various              countries leads to whale beaching
32.  You can tell an adult male from an adult female by the shape of their dorsal fin. A        male’s fin is very tall (up to 6 feet tall) and triangular shaped. A female is shorter          (3 feet) and curves back toward the dorsal fin
33. Whale, this giant of the ocean, feeds on some of the smallest marine life called             krill.
34. A single adult blue whale can consume 3,6000kg of krill a day.
35. Tongue of whale alone can weigh as much as an elephant and its hearts, as                 much as a car.
36. Bowhead Whales Can Live For More Than 200 Years
37. They mainly catch their food by diving, and descend to depths of approximately           500m.
38. With each mouthful, the whale can hold up to 5,000kg of water and plankton.
39. The rise and decline of an individual whale’s song is very much like that of a pop         song
40. Some Whales can stay underwater for as long as 90 minutes.