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The anatomy of a whale. By Steve Connor. The largest creature ever to have lived, with a tongue alone that can weigh as much as an elephant, the blue whale rules the ocean. Steve Connor explains how this magnificent mammal evolved to such mammoth proportions.
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15 hours ago · Two of the whales in Qeqertarsuaq Tunua—whose relationship is unknown—synchronized bouts of diving for as many as seven days on end whenever they were within 60 miles of each other. According ...
OCEANS. Secrets of the deepest-diving whales. By Katie Pavid. 105. Beaked whales can dive 2,000 metres below the ocean's surface. Why and how do they do it? Around 2,000 metres below the surface, the water is freezing, black and seemingly impenetrable.
Sep 14, 2023 · Killer whales are apex predators that display a diverse range of hunting strategies, tailored to their regional prey preferences. Some killer whale populations primarily feed on fish, while others specialize in hunting marine mammals, including seals, sea lions, and even large whales.
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- Blowhole
- Teeth
- Baleen
- Dorsal Fin
- Flipper
- Flukes
- Eyes
- Ears
- Blubber
- Differences Between Whales and Fish
Whales, porpoises, and dolphins are marine mammals, and like all mammals, they require oxygen to survive. Unlike other sea creatures such as fishwhich use gills to extract oxygen from the water, whales must come to the surface to breathe as they possess lungs and a blowhole rather than gills. The blowhole is situated on or near the top of their hea...
Two primary whale suborders are divided based on their physical characteristics. The first of these two suborders are the toothed whale suborder. Toothed whalesare typically smaller than their baleen whale cousins and have a single blowhole on their heads compared to the two blowholes found on a baleen whale. To capture their prey, chew their food,...
Baleen whalesare the other suborder of the toothed whale species. Baleen whales are generally larger than toothed whales and have rows of baleen plates with bristles that resemble the teeth of a comb located on the top of their jaws instead of teeth. The bristles act as a filter allowing water to escape their mouth while being packed tightly enough...
The main purpose of the dorsal fin is to stabilize the whale and keep it from rolling in the water. Dorsal fins can vary greatly in terms of shape and size depending on the whale species, and while many species possess a dorsal fin, there are some exceptions, such as the sperm whale and beluga whale, which have no dorsal fin at all. Some dolphin an...
The flippers on a whale or dolphin are used to navigate and steer in the ocean. These marine mammals use their flippers to perform various aquatic acrobatics such as steering left and right by changing their flippers’ angle and using their flippers to provide lift so they can rise in the water control their level of aquatic depth. The flippers are ...
The flukes are attached to the end of the whale/dolphin and are used for propulsion. However, unlike sharks, whales and dolphins move forward by flexing their tail up and down, not left and right.
The eyes of a whale are relatively small compared to the rest of its body. Their eyes are well adapted to aquatic life and secrete an oil used to lubricate and protect their eyes from debris and other chemicals in the ocean. While it is possible to secrete oil, whales cannot secrete tears, but their cries can often be heard from many miles away.
The ears of a whale or dolphin are designed differently than humans ears and are well adaptedto marine (aquatic) life. For a whale/dolphin, there is little difference between the inner and outer ear areas. Instead of receiving sound through the outer ears, whales receive sound through their throat; the sound then passes through a cavity and into th...
Because whales are warm-blooded, they need to maintain their body heat. They do this to form a thick layer of insulating blubber around their body, which acts as a heat insulator and moderator. The thick blubber helps keep the cold/freezing temperatures of the outside water away from the whale’s vital organs and can even protect whales against atta...
Given that whales and fish inhabit the ocean together, it’s easy to assume that they share some close physical characteristics. However, this is not the case. In fact, in some ways, whales and fish are like night and day regarding how they live and thrive in the ocean. For instance, whales possess a thick layer of blubber to keep their vital organs...
Most species of whale are known to spend their time doing a variety of activities including foraging, migrating, mating, socializing, sleeping and exploring. Not all whales however will engage equally in all of the activities listed above.
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Whales. Scientific Name: Cetacea. Diet: Carnivore. Average Life Span: unknown. Size: 9 feet to 98 feet long. Weight: 500 pounds to 200 tons. Current Population Trend: Unknown. Whales are the...
