Whales of the World

Blowhole

A nostril that evolved from the front of the whales' face to the back so the whale doesn't have to lift it's head out of the water every time it needs a breath. Every time the whale needs a breath, it sprays water. A blue whale's spray can get up to 3o feet in the air!

Blubber

A special kind of fat that can constitute up to half of the animals weight. It's is a thick layer of fat that can be several feet thick on some whales. It is used to keep marine animals warm when they dive down into the icy water.

Cetacea

An order which includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

Blue whale

Biggest whale species in the world. They actually are the biggest animals to ever exist. They can get as big as 100 feet long. They also have the biggest tongues in the world. Their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant! And their tail fin can be 25 feet wide!

Echolocation

Communication several animals use. Echolocating animals call out to the environment and listen to the echoes of those calls that return from various objects near them. This type of communication is commonly used for navigating or foraging.

Smallest whale out of the dolphin family

Dwarf sperm whales are this. They can grow 8.5 feet long.

Considered one of the best migrators in the animal kingdom

Gray whales are considered this. Traveling in pods, they can travel up to 12,430 miles (20,00 k).

Whale shark

It's the biggest breed of shark in the world. Can get as large as 60 feet long.

Largest toothed whale

Male sperm whales are this. They are the ______ toothed whale

Right whale

Rarest of all large whale species. They are also usually a bit longer than school buses.

Zooplankton

Right whales feed on this.

Fin whale

Second biggest whale in the world. They can grow up to be 80 feet long!

Toothed whales

These types of whales are smaller than baleen whales. They are predators that use their teeth to catch squid, fish, seals, etc. They have only one blowhole, while Baleen whales have two.

Baleen whales

They are bigger than toothed whales. They normally eat huge amounts of krill for nourishment. Baleen plates are strong and flexible, and their baleen plates hang in a row on the upper jaw like teeth from a comb. They also have two blowholes instead of one.

Sei (pronounced say) whale

They are one of the fastest whale species! They are very streamlined with a dark back and a white underside. That is a very common camouflage technique.

Bowhead whale

They have the biggest mouth in the animal kingdom. They can also live up to 200 years old and grow to be 66 feet long.

Peduncle arch

This is seen before a whale makes a deep descent. They force themselves out of the water and use gravity to their advantage.

Breaching

When a whale propels itself out of the water and slaps against the water to get rid of barnacles.