All About Whales

Whales are mammals, they give birth to live babies, which they nurse.Though whales live in the ocean unlike many other marine animals, they breath air. There are two different kinds of whales, they are known as “Toothed Whales” or “Baleen Whales”. Toothed Whales eat fish and larger marine mammals, while Baleen Whales which do not have any teeth and eat krill and small plants. Popular species of Toothed Whales include: Killer Whales and Dolphins. Well known Baleen Whales include: Blue Whales and Humpback Whales.

Whales have one or two blow holes at the top of their heads. The whale uses their blow to breathe air. The whale surfaces and takes air in through the blow hole when they surface. When they submerge in the water, the blow hole closes. Before taking another breath the whale blows out the old air through the blow hole, this sprays the water making it look like a fountain. Baleen Whales have two blowholes while Toothed Whales only have one blow hole.

Whales are almost hairless but they have a thick layer of blubber that acts as insulation and helps keep them warm.

Toothed whales use echolocation for navigation. They emit high-pitched clicks then use the echos that bounceback from objects in the water to determine the location of items.

Whales have been known to live as long as 100 years.

About the Author
Jacob Maddox manages content for Wildlife Animals http://www.wildlife-animals.com an educational wildlife and animal website. Jacob also guest writes for Dog Pound http://www.dog-pound.net