All About Whales!
Whale Characteristics
There
are 13 families of whales, including dolphins and porpoises, categorized as
cetaceans. Those common to North Atlantic waters are finback, humback, minke,
right, orca and pilot whales.
What Do Whales Look
Like?
Whale characteristics vary among families. Black, white
and various shades of gray are common colors, and most whales have one or more
of these on their bodies. Many whales have 5 fins: a pair of flippers just
behind the head, a pair of tail fins and a dorsal fin on the back.
Can Whales See?
Although a
whale's eyes are tiny compared to the size of its body, they can see clearly
under water and in the air. However, because their eyes are on the sides of
their heads, they can't see things directly in front of them.
Can Whales Hear?
Whales have
only a tiny ear hole, but can hear very well from an inner ear hole. They can
also hear sounds that humans cannot register and echoes of sounds they make.
Many whales use echoes to search for prey and other whales. When a whale
clicks, the sound travels through the water and bounces off objects. If the
sound comes back quickly, the whale knows the object is close.
How Do Whales Breathe?
Even
though they spend all of their lives in the water, whales need to breathe like
other mammals. Whales breathe through a "blowhole" on the top of their heads.
When they swim and dive for food, powerful muscles keep the blowhole closed.
Some whales can stay under water for almost hour, but most normally surface
within minutes. When they reach the surface, they breathe out, releasing a
vapor cloud called the spout or blow. This is made up of tiny water droplets,
oil from the whale's lungs and old air.
Where Do Whales Live?
Whales
live in every ocean in every part of the world. However, some, like the
short-finned pilot whales live in warm ocean waters, while others live only in
icy, Polar Regions.
Do All Whales Migrate?
Most
of the larger whales travel thousands of miles every year. Summers are spent in
Arctic and Antarctic regions. During the winter, whales bear their young in
warm tropical waters. Usually, a whales' treks are familiar ones, and they keep
coming back to the same feeding and calving grounds each year. "Cape Cod
Whales" off Stellwagen Bank are usually migrating from Nova Scotia to New
England and Florida waters.
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