Whales

Sham S. Misri

Whales come in many shapes and sizes.  There are only two major groups of whales: baleen and toothed

I.                   Baleen Whales.

i)                  Blue Whales are the largest animals on the planet, measuring upto one hundred feet or longer.  Blue whale calves grow quickly, gaining upto 200 pounds a day when they are nursing.

ii)                Bowhead whales often feed by swimming along the surface of the water with their mouths open, trapping food in their baleen- a practice known as skimming. Their baleen is relatively long compared to other whales, and they tend to have a high percentage of blubber for their body weight.

iii)             Fin whales are one of the fastest   large whales, swimming upto 35 miles or so per hour. Their heads are triangular in shape and their bodies tend to be dark on top and white underneath.

iv)              Gray whales feed on crustaceans by sucking up sediment from the ocean floor, then filtering dirt and other debris out of their mouths through their baleen.

v)                Minke whales are small and smooth, resembling dolphins with tall fins on their backs. They tend to feed on a wider assortment of fish than other whales.

vi)               Pygmy Whales are the smallest of the baleen whales. They are found in the warmer waters of the southern hemisphere but sightings of them are considered rare.

vii)           Right Whales have hardened patches of skin on their head, plump bodies and no fins on their backs.

viii)         Sei Whales eat a variety of other sea animals, including fish and squid, although they mostly feed on plankton strained from the water with their unusually fine baleen. They have sleek bodies with tall pointed back fins.

II.               Toothed Whales

i)                  Beluga Whales, also called white whales, are born dark gray and have no back fins. They turn white as they become adults. Belugas tend to be very vocal, a trait that has led to them being called the canaries of the sea.

ii)                Hourglass dolphins are pretty, black- and white dolphins (dolphins are small, toothed whales).  They live in the Antarctic waters and are rarely seen near land.

iii)             Humpback Whales have flippers that are longer than those of other whales, and the underside of their tails are marked with unique black and white skin patterns.

iv)              Killer Whales, also called orcas, use their teeth to catch lots of different kinds of prey, including fish, squids, penguins and sea lions. They have striking black and white bodies.

v)                Melon Headed Whales are small with a thin body and a head that is pointed and shaped somewhat like a melon. They are fast swimmers and pray mostly on small fish and squid.

vi)              Narwhal Whales resemble the mythical  unicorn – this species has a long pointed tusk

protruding from its head.  Its skin is colored with flecks of brown and gray.

vii)           Pilot Whales tend to swim in large groups and feed mostly on squids. There are two types; the long finned type, which is usually found in cold waters, and the short finned type, which inhabits warm water.

viii)         Sperm Whales feed on squids and can dive to amazing depths to find them. They have huge square heads like the famous sperm whale Moby Dick.