Whales belong to their own family order which there are many species of Cetaceans and this order includes the whale, porpoises and dolphins. There are sixty six species of toothed species and there are only a few species of Baleen whales. Tooted species are predators that feed on squid and marine mammals by swallowing them whole. They also use echolocation to hunt and have one blow hole.

The Baleen whale on the other hand filters its food in the water by means of a comb like structure. The Baleen is by far bigger than the toothed whale is and this whale has two blow holes which are situated on the top of its head. The very largest mammal is the Blue whale although it lives in the ocean is considered to be the largest mammal on earth sometime exceeding 29 meters in length. Due to the creature size it has to eat 4 tons of krill a day and this species is threatened by man.

The smallest ocean mammals are the dwarf sperm whale which grows to around two and half meters long. These creatures are not fish they are mammals and these are the only mammals that spend their entire life in the ocean. These mammals are very large and they are also very intelligent.

All mammals breathe air into their lungs and a whale breathes air into their lungs through their blow holes they also have a fine layer of hair that covers the body. These mammals are warm blooded and have a heart the same as land mammals and they are also able to keep high body temperatures. They have teats as do all mammals so they can suckle their young.

The fastest swimmers are the killer whale and short fin pilot whale which swim as fast as forty eight kilometres per hour. Most ocean mammals are extremely active in the water and some even jump very high out of the water. You will also notice that these playful creatures surface their entire head out of the water and look around.

The whale's worst enemy is humans and due to humans many of the whale species are now critically endangered and not too far in the future will these mammals become extinct through being hunted.

Whales belong to their own family order which there are many species of Cetaceans and this order includes the whale, porpoises and dolphins. There are sixty six species of toothed species and there are only a few species of Baleen whales. Tooted species are predators that feed on squid and marine mammals by swallowing them whole. They also use echolocation to hunt and have one blow hole.

About the Author
In her studies of whales one aspect that has always intrigued Anne Stark is whale communication.