Nature by Inthu » Whale

Whales | Sperm Whales

inthu — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:57:43 +0000

Sperm Whales

The whale was named after a milky white waxy substance, believed to be sperm, found in its own head. It has the largest brain, found in any animal in the world. They can grow up to 59 feet and weigh around 35 to 45 tons. It feeds on several species, but has a taste for the giant squid, its mortal enemy. Whale hunting is a reality, endangering many of the whale species. There are many organizations working towards the protection of these gigantic mammals, however, they still remain vulnerable after decades of protection. The WWF Cetaceans Action Plan aims to ensure that by 2012, a significant reduction of threats to cetacean populations will be achieved. It would be an empty ocean, without these fascinating mammals!

Whales | Gray Whales

inthu — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:55:27 +0000

Gray Whales
They are often referred as great migrates, they can swim 12,430 miles round-trip from the Alaskan waters to the Mexican coast. They are the most primitive of all whales, mottled gray and covered with abundant abrasions, scars and clusters of parasitic barnacles on their heads and backs. They are 40 to 50 feet in length and can weigh up to 40 tons. They are omnivore in nature and generally feed on amphipod crustaceans. They are fiercely protective of their Young ones. Scammon’s Lagoon, off Baja California, is famous for spotting the gray whale.

Whales | Fin Whales

inthu — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:51:40 +0000

Fin Whales
It’s the second largest species of whale, commonly also known as the, ‘greyhound of the sea’, because of its speed. They are found world over, migrating in the summer to breed. They travel in small pods, even solitary at times. They are known to dive, as deep as 800 feet, when hunting for squids or fishes. They grow to be nearly 90 feet long and can weigh up to 70 tons. Unlike other whales, they may not need any feed whole of winter, as they rely on their accumulated blubber for energy.

Whales | Beluga Whales

inthu — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:49:14 +0000

Beluga Whales
They are also called as white whales; though they are born gray or brown, they turn white upon reaching sexual maturity. Their color makes them easily distinguishable among other whales. They are found in the Arctic Ocean’s coastal waters and in subarctic waters. Their migration depends on the environmental conditions. They range from 13 to 20 feet in length and weigh around 2200 pounds. They are social mammals, living and hunting together in small groups. They mostly hunt for schooling fishes, which are found in abundance in the coastal area. They have two unusual characteristics; first they never chew their food; they swallow it whole and second, have flexible necks, that enables them to turn its head in all directions.

Whales | Humpback Whales

inthu — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:46:24 +0000

Humpback Whales
Known for their magical songs, which they sing to communicate with others and to attract potential mates is quite complex and can continue for hours on end. They weigh up to 40 tons and grow anywhere between 48 to 62 feet. Humpback whales migrate annually for feeding as well as breeding. They are omnivore in their dietary habits, feeding on fish, plankton, and tiny shrimp-like krill. They are powerful swimmers; using their tail fin called a fluke to propel and even leap out of water. They are affectionate in their gestures, with mother and calves often swimming close and touching each other with their fins.

Whales- Orca Whales

inthu — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:42:43 +0000

Orca Whales
Most of the times, they hunt together in pods of 40. They often frequent coastal waters, but can also be found in regions close to the Equator. They prey on marine mammals as well fish. They can even grab seals and polar bears right off the ice, using their four inches long teeth. They use a variety of sounds to communicate and each pod is known to have its own typical sound. They have distinctive black-and-white coloring and perform in many aquarium shows.

Whales- Blue Whale

inthu — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:37:32 +0000

Blue Whale
It is the largest as well as the loudest animal to live on earth. Adult female blue whales are larger than adult males in size. They can grow up to 105 feet long weighing up to 200 tons. Despite their gigantic size, they are shy and placid. They are generally found to be swimming in small groups or pairs. The summers are spent in polar waters and migrate towards the Equator during winters. Their diet mainly composes of nearly 4 tons of krill, tiny shrimp like animals, in a day. They emit a series of sounds to communicate with each other up to 1,000 miles away. Scientists believe they also use these vocalizations to sonar-navigate the ocean depths. They look true blue underwater, but on the surface their coloring is more a mottled blue-grey.

types of whales

inthu — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 11:25:00 +0000

The suborder Mysticeti includes the types of whales known as baleen whales and contains four families, which includes the Gray whale, the rorquals, the Right Whales and the Humpback Whale which resides in a genus all it’s own. The largest animal ever to live on the earth, the Blue Whale, is a baleen whale and a member of the group known as rorquals, so called because they have pleated throats. Reaching lengths in excess of 33 metres there are estimated to be only between 6,000 and 14,000 Blue Whales remaining in the oceans of the world, the majority in the southern hemisphere. Baleen whales are filter feeders and largely eat krill (euphausids), copepods and small schooling fish. These types of whales suffered badly at the hands of whalers during the last century and their numbers have been seriously depleted.

Different Types of Whales

Mysticeti

Currently taxonomists divide the mysticetes into the following four families although recently the fact that the Gray Whale stands alone in the family Eschrichtiidae has been challenged.

Balaenopteridae – Rorquals
Eschrichtiidae – Gray Whale
Balaenidae – Right Whales
Neobalaenidae – Pygmy Right Whale

The suborder Odontoceti, the largest within the order Cetacea, comprises the toothed whales, which includes all dolphins and porpoises. Between them, the ten families contain 36 genera and 70 species, which include Sperm Whales, White Whales, the little known Beaked Whales and Pilot and Killer Whales. The largest Odontocete or toothed whale is the Sperm Whale reaching lengths of 20 metres. An animal of great extremes the Sperm Whale has the largest brain of any animal and probably makes the deepest dive of any whale, possibly up to 3000 metres deep that may last up to two hours in duration. The Sperm Whale is truly global in its coverage and may be found in all oceans of the world.

Odontoceti

Physeteridae – Sperm Whales
Kogiidae – Dwarf and Pygmy Sperm Whales
Monodontidae – White Whales and Narwhal
Ziphiidae – Beaked Whales and Bottlenose Whales
Delphinidae – Dolphins, Humpbacked Dolphins, Pilot & Killer Whales
Plantanistidae, Iniidae, Lipotidae, Pontoporiidae – River Dolphins
Phocoenidae – Porpoises