Whales are known as cetacean mammals, but also fall into one of two categories within this mammal distinction. The two categories are baleen, or Mysticeti, and toothed, or Odontoceti. Baleen whales eat plankton by way of baleen plates, a bony shelf in the front of their mouths, which filters tiny prey.
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The killer whale is a massive dolphin that is known to inhibit all parts of the world. These massive animals earned their name as killer whales because they are extremely large and power marine mammals that are known to consume a wide variety of prey. In fact these dolphins are known to eat everything from … Why Do Killer Whales Travel Together? Read More »
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The whale is a descendant of a hoofed mammal from 50 million years ago. The whale has made some extraordinary advancements in its journey back to the water, but some land-based traits have been preserved, making them unique among marine mammals. Whales often swim close to the shore. Find out why here.
These carry the significant mammalian traits of being warm-blooded, having fur, lactating, and breathing air. Cetaceans belong to the eutherians group as they do not lay eggs or possess pouches and give birth to live young after an extended gestational period.
Cold-blooded fish, including sharks, are ectothermic, meaning that they use their outside temperature to regulate their body temperature. Whales, as part of the mammalian group, are warm-blooded or endothermic homeotherms. This means that whales must maintain their body temperature using energy that they convert from food.
Fish take the oxygen out of the water using their gills, but as mammals, whales must breathe air. Whales have lungs instead of gills, and their blowholes are basically repositioned nostrils.
Cetacean refers to an order of marine mammals that incorporates 90 species, including 49 species of dolphins (river and oceanic) and porpoises. The other 41 species are divided into baleen whales, of which there are 14 species and 27 species of toothed whales. These carry the significant mammalian traits of being warm-blooded, having fur, ...
As whale calves are born ready to swim, being born tail first means they face the same direction as the mother.
When thinking about marine life, we think about fish, including sharks and rays; we may even think about corals, which are, in fact, animals and not plants. The largest animal that has ever lived falls into the category of mammals.
Whales are mammals because they give birth to live young, they have fur (although it is very sparse on their body), they have lungs and breath air and they provide milk for their young. Answer 3: You have a lot of interesting questions about marine mammals. Dolphins and other whales are all mammals called cetaceans.
Mammals warm-blooded animals breathe air through the lungs, they bear live young and feed them, they have mammary glands and regulate their own body temperature and heat. Similar characteristics are observed in whales.
A group of whales feeding together. Humpback whale s form pods during migrations
These smaller pods are sometimes referred to as nursery groups because it is comprised of a group of females dolphins and their calves. The mothers teach their young to hunt, find food, avoid predators and they nurture their young ones. The baby dolphins will stay close to their mothers for 3-6 years.
Mother and baby Beluga whale swimming together. Toothed whales use echolocation to navigate in murky water with low visibility.
Humpback whales migrate to warmer waters during the winter. Whales from the northern hemisphere will make their way to the warm waters off Hawaii and whales from the southern hemisphere migrate to eastern Australia. One research study followed humpback whale’s migration over a period of two years, following both the northward and southward movement. These whales were congregating off the east coast of Australia. The result of the study was that they found the majority of the whales paired up, male-female, for the long migration. Of all of the whales the study found, “231 singletons, 257 pairs, 63 trios, 7 quads and 4 pods containing more than 5 individuals were observed during two land-based surveys carried out throughout the northward migration in 1991 and 1993.” So there was some variety, with a large group of whales making a solo trek and a group that preferred to travel in threes. Whales that are pods of three are often identified as a female, her calf and an escort or mate-guard. The large number of whales that make the migration paired is thought to be mating related, like a Honeymoon in Hawaii!
A group of whales feeding together. Humpback whale s form pods during migrations
These smaller pods are sometimes referred to as nursery groups because it is comprised of a group of females dolphins and their calves. The mothers teach their young to hunt, find food, avoid predators and they nurture their young ones. The baby dolphins will stay close to their mothers for 3-6 years.
Mother and baby Beluga whale swimming together. Toothed whales use echolocation to navigate in murky water with low visibility.
Humpback whales migrate to warmer waters during the winter. Whales from the northern hemisphere will make their way to the warm waters off Hawaii and whales from the southern hemisphere migrate to eastern Australia. One research study followed humpback whale’s migration over a period of two years, following both the northward and southward movement. These whales were congregating off the east coast of Australia. The result of the study was that they found the majority of the whales paired up, male-female, for the long migration. Of all of the whales the study found, “231 singletons, 257 pairs, 63 trios, 7 quads and 4 pods containing more than 5 individuals were observed during two land-based surveys carried out throughout the northward migration in 1991 and 1993.” So there was some variety, with a large group of whales making a solo trek and a group that preferred to travel in threes. Whales that are pods of three are often identified as a female, her calf and an escort or mate-guard. The large number of whales that make the migration paired is thought to be mating related, like a Honeymoon in Hawaii!