Learn Some New Whales Facts

Looking for some fun? Whatever you do, Don't Click Here!

The whale holds quite the intrigue of us humans. We admire their size, beauty, intelligence, and playfulness. But here are some whales facts that are quite interesting.

Cetaceans are the family of animals that whales belong to. This also includes porpoises and dolphins. They are the only mammals that live their entire life under the waters of the sea except for manatees. Being mammals, they are warm-blooded, breathe air through a blowhole, and give live birth. The average blue whale is about 94 feet in length, making it the largest creature to ever exist. The smallest would be the dwarf sperm whale at 8 feet.

Cetaceans are classified into two groups. These are toothed and baleen. Toothed predators use their peg-like teeth to spear fish and smaller marine animals. They swallow them whole after they find them through echolocation. This group consists of about 66 species. Baleen groups swim through the sea and use a comb-like structure to filter out food like krill. There are roughly 10 species of these.

These creatures have their own very unique set of behaviors. To rest, they will log, which means they just float along the surface. They will sometimes lift their bodies out of the water to their fins and look around, called spyhopping. If there is danger around, a whale might lobtail, slapping the water hard with their tail to make a loud noise. When they are playful, they will often breach, leaping high out of the sea and splashing back down again.

The whale also is known for its singing. They have very haunting and complex songs. They can last up to an hour at times when sung by the blue! The sounds range from whistles and clicks to low frequencies. There are several reasons for this particular behavior. It is employed to communicate with its pod, attract a mate, and even to express grief or excitement. They can be heard literally for miles through the water!

Did these whales facts teach you anything you did not know? These are certainly a fascinating group of animals. Their beauty and sized truly inspire admiration.

Over the last fifty years Andrew Keet has been gathering whale facts while staying on the East Coast of South Africa and watching whales.

Article kindly provided by UberArticles.com

Topics: WildLife | Comments Off

Tags: WildLife

Article Citation
MLA Style Citation:
Keet, Andrew "Learn Some New Whales Facts." Learn Some New Whales Facts. 14 Aug. 2009. uberarticles.com. 22 Apr 2012 <http://uberarticles.com/miscellaneous/wildlife/learn-some-new-whales-facts/>.

APA Style Citation:
Keet, A (2009, August 14). Learn Some New Whales Facts. Retrieved April 22, 2012, from http://uberarticles.com/miscellaneous/wildlife/learn-some-new-whales-facts/

Chicago Style Citation:
Keet, Andrew "Learn Some New Whales Facts" uberarticles.com. http://uberarticles.com/miscellaneous/wildlife/learn-some-new-whales-facts/

Recent Articles in 'WildLife'

Quit Smoking Permanently

By Chris James

Quitting smoking is not an easy thing to do. Anyone who has tried, even if they were successful, will likely say it was extremely difficult. There are a variety of ways to try and quit smoking. If one way is unsuccessful try another. Quitting smoking as soon as possible is imperative to your health and the health of those around you. Before beginning any non-smoking program be sure to discuss it with your doctor.

The First Three Days After You Stop Smoking

By Darren Warmuth

Regardless of which option you choose that you feel will assist you to stop smoking, the first three days are the hardest. This is when the physical symptoms of nicotine leaving your body is felt the most. Common symptoms such as irritability, feeling sleepy or fatigued, and that slight headache that never seems to go away, are all common symptoms of withdrawal.

Dealing with the Other Difficult Parent

By Dr. Noel Swanson

Q. I have a stepdaughter who is four years old. Her real mother whom she visits on weekends is in and out of jail; she has 86 felonies. Each visit leaves the child distraught; she gets depressed and sinks into her shell.

Some Facts about the Magic Stop Smoking Pill

By Darren Warmuth

You may be one of millions who get trapped by catchy ads of 'magic pills' that can cure you of your smoking habit without any effort. It is all tall talk. There is no such wonder drug. So, don't wait for miracles to happen, and start making an effort to get rid of your smoking habit.

ADHD - What It Is & How To Recognize It From Your Child's Behavior

By Dr. Noel Swanson

ADD and ADHD are two abbreviated terms that refer to children affected by particular behavioural problems. ADD means Attention Deficit Disorder while ADHD is Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Children are diagnosed with these conditions when they exhibit unusually difficult behaviour at home and at school. ADD/ADHD is believed to affect up to 5% of school aged children and is more prevalent in boys than in girls.

Make Money Using Article Submission Service

By Brad Selers_

Article Submission services are programs that submits articles to as many directories as possible and in the least amount of time. The system by which article submissions are made at lightning speeds is called spidering. A spider is a program whose primary function is to search for similar directories over the web and causing an article to appear in them.

How To Write A Great Article In 6 Steps

By Brad Selers_

Anyone who regularly reads newspapers, papers and goes online will have read several articles. These can be used in many different ways. Some articles are written purely for information purposes were others are used to market websites and goods. Understanding how to write a great article can be difficult even if you are a seasoned pro. So why not take a look at the 6 stages which will enable you to learn how to write a great article.

Uber Articles {Über (ger) adj. above, beyond }