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WHALES

KINGDOM: ANIMALIA

PHYLUM: CHORDATA

CLASS: MAMMALIA

ORDER: CETACEA

FAMILY: ORCINUS 

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WHAT IS A WHALE?

Whales are the most significant marine mammals. They are only mammals living in water besides manatees. They are the descendants of land living mammals Artiodactyl. There are many different whales such as killer whale, blue whale, sperm whale, beluga whale, fin whale, pilot whale, and humpback whale. The blue whale is the largest animal known to ever exist. Whales were common, but for century’s whale were hunted for their meat. By the mid 20th centuries, the whales were seriously endangered. Many experts try to stop hunting of the whales or any threats. 

STRUCTURE

Whales are familiar to other mammals. They breathe through their lungs, are warm blooded, and feed milk to their young from mammary glands. Mammary glands are the organ, in mammals, that produces milk for their young. They also have a little bit of hair and four chambered heart. Their body is wide in the middle and tapers at the both end and streamlined which makes them swim faster and easily through water. The end of the tail holds the tail fins. Most species of whale have a fin in their back called dorsal fin. Beneath their body they have fat known as blubber. This helps them to keep its energy and reduce heat. Whales breathe through their blowholes, located on the top of their head so they can stay under the water while swimming. Although they are marine mammals, they have to breathe air and also their body has to stay keep in water, because of their skin. Some whales have teeth such as sperm whale; however, unlike humans, the whales have surface layer of tooth root outside of the gum which is also called cementum. Only the larger ones show the enamel where cementum has worn away on the tip of the tooth. Also they have an extra bone which indicates that maybe once their ancestor had legs. Probably, the whale ancestor once lived on land, but as species expanded to different locations, they were adapted to their new environment, and then migrated to the sea. 

 AGE

Whales live from 40 to 90 years, but not always. In the 19th century, there was a bowhead whale in Alaska which was 115 and 130 years old. Further more, there was 211 years old bowhead whale.

 WATER ACTIVITIES

Breaching: Whales jump very often. They jump high up to the air that and then come down. If you get close, it might splash you.

Spyhopping: Especially the killer whales poke its head out to the surface.

Lobtailing: They flap their tail, splashing water.

Logging: Whales stays up to the water surface motionlessly, relaxing.

EAR

Whales have adapted to their underwater environment. There is no difference between inside and outside underwater environment. Instead of hearing through outside to inside, they hear through their throat which passes low-impendence to the inner ear.

BEHAVIOR

Whales known as highly classed predators among others. Whales such as humpback and blue whale eat krill, a shrimp like animal, only in arctic water. They take their mouth with enormous swallow of seawater, then they expel the water with their baleen plates, which is process filtering food or water instead of using its teeth. Whales do not drink water; instead, they extract water from their food. Male whales are called bulls, and females are called cows, and the young are called calves. Many whales behave in the surface which is called surfacing behaviors: breaching and tail flapping. Remember that whales breathe through their lungs like humans? Well, because of its environment, they have to breath when they need to, throwing their body out to the air. All mammals go to sleep, however whales cannot completely go to sleep. If they do, they might drown. Scientists thought that only half of its brain sleeps, so it means that they don't go to sleep completely, but they do get rest. Often, whales sleep with only one eye closed. Whales communicate each other using lyrical sound called whale songs. These sounds may be extremely loud depending on what kind of species they are. Sperm whales just make a click, because it's toothed whale. However, it can travel for many miles. Female whales give only birth to one calf. They have to nurse them more than ear, which is strong bond between mother and young. There is only few offspring that success in the water by themselves, but it provides them high possibility of survival in the water. Whales are known to teach, learn, cooperate, scheme, and grieve.

  Killer Whale               Humpback Whale

http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/archives/09-10/images/killers.jpg 

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Review Questions                                                                   

1. Are they mammals or animals?                                    

2. Where and how whales breathe?

3. What's a blubber?

4. Whales can live __ to __, usually

5. How many water activities are there?                                                                   

6. What do you call the whale communication and how do they communicate?

7. What do they eat?                                                                                                 

8. How do they hear things?

         Bilbliography

What is a whale, structure, behavior, ear age- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale 

Water activities- http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/allabout/ 

Classification- http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/bio99/bio99133.htm

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