Whales are large, magnificent, intelligent, aquatic mammals. They breathe air through blowhole(s) into lungs (unlike fish who breathe using gills). Whales have sleek, streamlined bodies that move easily through the water. They are the only mammals, other than manatees (seacows), that live their entire lives in the water and the only mammals that have adapted to life in the open oceans.

Like all mammals

• Whales breathe air into lungs,

• Whales have hair (although they have a lot less than land mammals, and have almost none as adults),

• Whales are warm-blooded (they maintain a high body temperature),

• Whales have mammary glands with which they nourish their young,

• Whales have a four-chambered heart.

SIZE

The biggest whale is the blue whale, which grows to be about 29m long – the height of a nine-storey building. The second biggest is the Fin Whale. The largest toothed whales are male sperm whales, which weigh about 43 tons. These enormous animals eat about four tons of tiny krill each day, obtained by filter feeding through baleen. Adult blue whales have no predators except man. The smallest whale is the dwarf sperm whale which as an adult is only 2.6m long.

LOUDEST

Blue whales are the loudest animals on Earth! Their call reaches levels up to 188 decibels. This whistle can be heard hundreds or perhaps even thousands of miles away. The blue whale is louder than a jet, which reaches only 140 decibels! Human shouting is only 70 decibels; sounds over 120-130 decibels are painful to human ears.

FASTEST

The fastest whales are: Orcas and Pilot whales, who can swim over 48km per hour in bursts in order to catch prey. The fastest of the great whales is the Sei Whale, which can swim at about 20knots per hour in short bursts.

DEADLIEST

The deadliest whale is the Killer whale or Orca. It is also the deadliest predator in the oceans. Each day, an orca needs to eat hundreds of pound of fish, marine mammals (including other whales), squid, sea birds, etc. They need to eat three-four per cent of their body weight each day (babies eat about 10 per cent of their body weight daily). They don’t chew their prey, but generally swallow it whole. Orcas are skilled hunters; they change their hunting strategies depending on their location and type of prey. They can hunt in pods, cooperating to circle school of fish or other prey to attack more efficiently.

DEEPEST DIVERS

The Sperm whale dives the deepest of all whales. It goes as deep as 10,500 feet below the surface to hunt for giant squid. These dives last about 40 minutes, with a subsequent rest at the surface for at least 10 minutes.

LONGEST TOOTH

Narwhals have the longest tooth, up to 2-3m long.

BIGGEST BRAIN

Sperm Whale has the biggest brain. It weighs up to 9kg.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/Bluewhale.shtml

Did you know ...

• Whales breathe air. They are NOT fish. They are mammals that spend their entire lives in the water.

• Cetaceans are the group of mammals that includes the whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

• The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever existed on Earth. It is larger than any of the dinosaurs were. They are also the loudest animal on Earth.

• Whales swim by moving their muscular tail (flukes) up and down. Fish swim by moving their tails left and right.