Whales

1. Whales By: Jenny Tran

2. Blue Whale • The blue whale is the largest living animal. It is an endangered species, and can eat up to 4 to 8 ton of krill each day. Krill is a small shrimp like animal. • Blue whales can grow up to 100 ft long and weigh up to 200 tons. Their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant! Underneath the ocean, a blue whale looks blue, but on land, it looks more gray. They usually swim at 5 miles an hour, but can accelerate up to 20 miles per hour.

3. Beluga Whale • Unlike the Blue Whale, the Beluga is one of the smallest species. Belugas are also sometimes called White Whales. They range at about 13 to 20 feet long. They have large white foreheads, and no dorsal fin. They’re common in Arctic Oceans, but sometimes get trapped by ice and die.

4. Gray Whale • Gray whales are often covered in parasites or other organisms. The Gray Whale’s snout is used to dislodge small creatures on the sea floor. Then, it uses a comb9like strainer on it’s upper jaw to filter out the creatures. It is called a whalebone and is about 18 inches long.

5. Humpback Whale • Humpback whales are known for their “songs.” The often moan, howl, or cry for continuous hours. Scientist don’t know for sure, but the believe their singing is for attracting potential mates and communicating. Humpback whales can reach up to 100 feet long and 120 tons. Humpback whales are very strong swimmers because of their large tail fin called a fluke.

6. Killer Whale • A killer whale is the largest of the dolphins, and feast on many animals, including, seals, sea lions, and even other whales. Their teeth can grow up to 4 inches long. Killer whales are very protective of their young, and females give birth 3 to 1o years after a 17 month pregnancy. They may be mean, but are very intelligent.

7. Sperm Whale • The sperm whale has the largest brain of any creature known to have lived on earth, about 7 times larger than the human brain. They can dive as deep as 3,280 feet. They can also hold their breath for up to 90 minutes. They eat about one ton of fish and squid each day! Their fluke itself is approximately 16 feet. The sperm whale is the whale in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.

8. Right Whale • Right whales are the rarest of all the whale. Their heads can measure up to one third of their body. The Right whales were named by whalers who identified them as the “right” whale to kill on a hunt. Because female don’t become mature enough to produce a baby until at least ten years of age, population of Right whales grow slowly. Right whales are the most endangered of all large whales. There are only several hundreds left, and the population has not seem to grow in the past few decades.

9. Narwhals • Narwhals are considered the unicorns of the sea. They only have two teeth, but can grow as large as 8.8 feet long. • They’re also related to bottlenose dolphins, belugas, and orcas. They feed on fish, squid, and shrimp. Inuit people hunt them for their long tusk and skin which is high in vitamin C.

10. Bibliography • http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/blue-whale.html • http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/beluga-whale/ • http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/gray-whale/ • http://www.ehow.com/about_4586725_how-fast-does-whale-swim.html • http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/humpback-whale/ • http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/killer-whale/ • http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/right-whale/ • http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/sperm-whale/ • http://healthmap.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/saf-b-southern_right_whale.jpg • http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/narwhal/ • http://www.rusticgirls.com/fun/neat-facts-about-dolphins-whales-seals.html

11. Thanks!