Whales Majestic Mammals Of The Ocean
The order Cetacea which is a fairly small family consisting of 75 different species in total which not only include the whales but dolphins as well as porpoises. There is the are toothed whale and Baleen of which there are 67 species of toothed and 10 species of Baleen. The toothed creatures have one hole on top of the head through which they breathe. These mammals are predators by nature and the toothed whale swallow their prey whole which consists of marine life and squid.
The Baleen whale on the other hand filters its food in the water by means of a comb like structure. The Baleen is by far bigger than the toothed whale is and this whale has two blow holes which are situated on the top of its head. The very largest mammal is the Blue whale although it lives in the ocean is considered to be the largest mammal on earth sometime exceeding 29 meters in length. Due to the creature size it has to eat 4 tons of krill a day and this species is threatened by man.
From the biggest to the smallest which is the dwarf sperm whale and measures around two and half meters in length. These creatures are mammals and do not fall under the fish category they also spend their whole life in the water. Not only are these mammals large but they are also exceptionally intelligent.
A Whale just like all mammals breathe air into their lungs through the blow holes and also have fine hair that covers their body. They have a chambered heart and they are warm blooded, they also have the capability to maintain a high body temperature. Like all mammals they have mammary glands from which they feed their young.
The whale that swim the fastest is the killer whale as well as the short fin pilot whale which can reach speeds of around 48 Km. A Whale can be very actively playful and I’m sure many have noted how high the whale can jump out of the water they are also curious creatures and do pop their heads out of the water to see what is going on above the surface.
There are many red data species of which some are critically endangered and this is due to the intervention of man who hunts these majestic mammals and should hunting continue they will be the cause of these creatures extinction.
While studying whales one feature that has always fascinated Anne Stark is whale communication.