Whales are warm blooded mammals. They are categorized as cataceans because they live in water through out their entire life. In this category one will also find the dolphins and porpoises too. Their bodies are well adapted to living in the water in various ways. First their bodies are streamlined thereby reducing friction between their bodies and the water. They are also almost hairless ensuring that water doesn’t get soaked and soggy in water. Unlike other fish, whales don’t breathe through gills instead they have a sprout like blow-horn that they breathe through with the fresh air then being taken into their lungs and pumped into their entire body.
There are two kinds of whales; the Baleen whales and the Rright whales. The Baleen whale cruises among the masses of tiny shrimp like creatures which abound in most waters as it gulps in great mouthfuls of them. Water is strained out through the sides but the food is trapped and swallowed whole. All Baleen whales have two blow holes. An example of them is them is the blue whale. The Right whales on the other hand have two blow-horns. Interestingly they have no teeth instead their gums are fringed with long bristle like structures that are similar to corns on the toes. It is therefore easy to categorize whales basically by studying their feeding habits and physical traits.
Like mammals they too have a hierarchical system of association in their groups always maintaining close relationships within their groups. They communicate using a variety of sounds that are highly pitched for the common ear to hear.
Over the years, the population of whales has dwindled significantly as a result of hunting there they are starved, or as a result of pollution in oceans such as massive oil spills that have suffocated them to death. Some species of whales are known for a variety of reasons for example: the Sperm whale has the largest brain in the animal kingdom, the Right whales don’t sink when the die. The Humpback whale is referred to as the singing whale because it is the only whale that produces audible rhythmic sounds while communicating. The Orcas is the killer whale that uses its forked fins to kill prey.
Whales are so heavy that if a whale went on land it would literally kill itself as a result of its bones caving in on it. That is why it stays in water throughout its life because the seas up-thrust force reduces the whales’ weight by up to a half ensuring that it stays streamlined in water.
I would love to witness the Humpback whales communicating. Perhaps they sound like a beautiful orchestrated Beethoven composition.
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Did you know that Humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, can grow up to 15m in length and 30 tonnes in weight. They are a highly migratory species travelling up the East African coast to breed in the warm clear waters off the Arabian peninsula. Sightings of very young calves indicate that they may breed off the Kenyan coast as they will generally wait until their calves are strong enough before attempting the long journey back to the productive feeding grounds of the Antarctic for during the southern hemisphere’s summer months.
no that is very amazing though nobody in their right mind would want to meet up with them face to face.
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