Whales: the Biggest Animals on Earth By Jessica Santella

1. Whales: the Biggest Animals on Earth By Jessica Santella

2. Introduction • Cetacean is the scientific name for whales • There are 79 species of whales • Whales are large and intelligent mammals • Whales have sleek, streamlined bodies that move easily through the water

3. Physical features • Their skin colors are blue, black, and white • They have something called blubber, which keeps them warm • They have 2 eyes and ears • They have a little pinhole behind ear that’s called a blowhole • A whale’s Size varies 10 feet to 98 feet

4. Life Span • Sperm Whales - can live 75 years, and possibly longer • Blue Whales -can live for more than 80 years

5. Habitat and Landforms • Most Whales live in the North Atlantic Ocean • They also live in the North Pacific Ocean • Whales migrate to other regions so they can keep their body temperatures high enough • They live in open ocean waters • In the winter they live near ice, ice bergs, and glaciers

6. Climate • In the summer most whales live in the cold Polar oceans • In the winter whales migrate to the warm, tropical ocean

7. Food Toothed Whales: • Sperm Whale – giant fish that live deep in the ocean • Killer whale – fish, seals, walrus, and other, whales Baleen Whales: • Blue Whale- • ocean plankton, which are floating masses of tiny creatures

8. Predators and Prey • Predator • Larger whales • People – they used to hunt whales Predator Prey • Killer whales eat other whales • Tooth whales eat different types of fish

9. Behavior • Many whales migrate long distances from their cold water feeding grounds • They migrate to warm water breeding grounds each year • Toothed whales often hunt in groups, migrate together, and share young rearing duties • Humpbacks have developed a method of fishing called bubble-net feeding.

10. REPRODUCTION • Whales are mammals and are nourished in the womb through an umbilical cord (as just like us) • Calves are born 8 months after parents mated • Others are born several months later • Cetaceans breed seasonally, usually in warm tropical waters, and females usually have one calf every 1-3 years

11. Adaptation • The fluke is a propeller at the end of the whale that makes it swim faster • The bigger the fluke, the faster the whaleswims • Body Temperature – A body will lose temperature 27 times more quickly in the water than it would in air

12. Physiological • Beneath the skin, lies a layer of fat called blubber • It serves as an energy holder and also as insulation • Whales breathe through blow holes located on the top of their head so the animal can remain underwater

13. Fun Facts • Whales live in all of the world’s oceans, but their specific range varies by species • Whales also communicate with each other using lyrical sound • These sounds are extremely loud depending on the species and can be heard for many miles • The blue whale is the largest known mammal that ever lived and the largest living animal at up to110 feet long and 150 tons in weight