Whales: the Biggest Animals on EarthBy Jessica Santella

• Cetacean is the scientific name for whales

• There are 79 species of whales

• Whales are large and intelligent mammals

• Whales have sleek, streamlined bodies that move easily through the water

Introduction

Physical features

• Their skin colors are blue, black, and white

• They have something called blubber, which keeps them warm

• They have 2 eyes and ears

• They have a little pinhole behind ear that’s called a blowhole

• A whale’s Size varies 10 feet to 98 feet

Life Span• Sperm Whales

- can live 75 years, and possibly longer

• Blue Whales-can live for more than 80 years

Habitat and Landforms• Most Whales live in the

North Atlantic Ocean • They also live in the

North Pacific Ocean• Whales migrate to other

regions so they can keep their body temperatures high enough

• They live in open ocean waters

• In the winter they live near ice, ice bergs, and glaciers

Climate • In the summer most

whales live in the cold Polar oceans

• In the winter whales migrate to the warm, tropical ocean

Food

Toothed Whales:• Sperm Whale – giant fish

that live deep in the ocean• Killer whale –

fish, seals, walrus, and other, whales

Baleen Whales:• Blue Whale-

ocean plankton, which are floating masses of tiny creatures

PreyPredator• Killer whales eat other whales• Tooth whales eat different types of fish

• Larger whales

• People – they used to hunt whales

Predators and Prey

Behavior• Many whales migrate

long distances from their cold water feeding grounds

• They migrate to warm water breeding grounds each year

• Toothed whales often hunt in groups, migrate together, and share young rearing duties

• Humpbacks have developed a method of fishing called bubble-net feeding.

REPRODUCTION

• Whales are mammals and are nourished in the womb through an umbilical cord (as just like us)

• Calves are born 8 months after parents mated• Others are born several months later• Cetaceans breed seasonally, usually in warm tropical waters, and

females usually have one calf every 1-3 years

Adaptation • The fluke is a

propeller at the end of the whale that makes

it swim faster• The bigger the fluke,

the faster the whale swims

• Body Temperature – A body will lose

temperature 27 times more quickly in the

water than it would in air

Physiological

• Beneath the skin, lies a layer of fat called blubber• It serves as an energy holder and also as insulation• Whales breathe through blow holes located on the top of their

head so the animal can remain underwater

Fun Facts• Whales live in all of the world’s oceans,

but their specific range varies by species

• Whales also communicate with each other using lyrical sound

• These sounds are extremely loud depending on the species and can be heard for many miles

• The blue whale is the largest known mammal that ever lived and the largest living animal at up to110 feet long and 150 tons in weight