Facts about Whales

Interesting facts and information about the Whale

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Facts & Info About Whales
Increase your knowledge of Facts about the Whale with some brief, but essential information & fast facts about this popular animal. Important facts, data and info containing details of the description, name origins and habitat of Whales. Details of the size, height and weight. Where do whales live and what they eat! Discover what their lives are like! A mixture of Factual information together with cool, fun, strange, amazing, weird and even funny facts about Whales. A detailed Fact Sheet covering a whole host of topics and Whale facts! Have Fun!

 

Facts about
Whales !

 

Description of Whales
Whales are described as any of the various numbers of marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term cetacean includes all 76 known species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Those more than 4 to 5 m (13 to 16 ft) long are generally referred to as whales, whereas smaller species are known as dolphins or porpoises. Whales have the general shape of a fish with forelimbs modified to form flippers, a tail with horizontal flukes, and one or two blowholes for breathing.

Killer Whales

Whales - Echlocation
Echolocation - All whales can see, however as visibility is restricted underwater they have developed the use of a sonar system called  'echolocation' to find their prey when navigating and hunting for food. The clicks of whales make high-frequency sounds, and the echoes of these sounds bounce back which enables them to make a mental map. Using this mental map they are able to avoid the smallest of obstacles whilst locating their prey. In just a split second Echlocation enables whales to determine the size of objects, their location, how fast they are.

Species of Whales

There are many different species of Whales including:
  • Blue Whales - Balaenoptera musculus
  • Fin whales - Balaenoptera physalus
  • Minke whales - Balaenoptera acutorostrata
  • Killer Whales (Orca) - Orcinus orca
  • Southern Right Whales- Eubalaena australis
  • Sei Whales - Balaenoptera borealis
  • Sperm whales - Physeter macrocephalus

Facts about where Whales live and what they eat!
Whales appear in virtually every ocean of the world
The diet of Whales consist of plankton, fish and squid

 

Basic Facts about Whales

The name of a male is referred to as a bull
The name of a female is referred to as a cow
The name or offspring, or a baby Whale, is a calf
The average size of a litter is one
The collective name for a group of Whales is a school
The sounds made by Whales are referred to as songs or clicks

Facts about the Size of the Biggest Whales
The largest animal ever to have lived are the Blue Whales or Baleen whales measuring up to 30.5 m (100 ft) in length, with a weight of more than 200 metric tons.

Humpback Whale

Facts about the life, behaviour and personality of Whales
  • Whales are known to teach, learn, cooperate, scheme, and even grieve
  • Most species of whales do not maintain fixed partnerships and females have several mates each season
What does that word mean??
Some fascinating information & facts about the words that are often used to describe animals! Read the facts and information and decide how Whales should be described!
  • What is a Mammal?
    • A Mammal is a warm blooded, vertebrate mammal. Warm blooded means that their temperature remains the same although their surroundings might change. This explains why they have a covering of hair on their skin. A mammal has milk-producing mammary glands for nourishing their young

  • What is a Vertebrate?
    • A Vertebrate is an animal that has a backbone which consists of ring-like bones, called vertebrae, that protect the soft spinal cord
  • What is an Invertebrate?
    • An Invertebrate animal does not have a backbone. They are also cold-blooded which means their body temperature changes according to the environment environment
  • What is a Carnivore?
    • A Carnivore is an animal which eats mainly meat
  • What is a Herbivore?
    • A Herbivore is an animal which eats mainly plants and grass 
  • What is an Omnivore?
    • An Omnivore is an animal which eats both meat and plants
  • What is an Amphibian?
    • An Amphibian is an animal spend part of its life under water (breathing with gills) and the remainder on land (breathing with lungs)

Some fascinating information & facts about the words that are often used to describe animals! Read the information and decide how a Whales should be described!


Endangered Species
Wild life experts consider that the Blue Whales are an endangered species. An endangered species is one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. The Causes of a species of animal becoming endangered are due to Habitat Destruction such as the rainforest, introduction of exotic species, disease, water pollution, global warming and over exploitation of natural resources. As people are made aware of the facts about endangered species, initiatives such as Recycling are increasing in popularity. Endangered Species Organizations are dedicated to saving and preserving the world's most endangered wildlife. Interesting facts about Endangered Species.

Pilot Whale

Whales Facts and Information about Whales
We hope that the selection of Facts about Whales has provided you with the information you have been searching for! A mixture of Factual information together with cool, fun, strange, amazing, weird and even funny facts about this amazing animal. A detailed Fact Sheet covering a whole host of topics information and facts about Whales. We believe that the concise and fun facts provided are full of interesting information about this popular animal! The internet is a great resource for information - you don't even need to go to the library to get fast facts about Whales! No more fines - just select a topic - read it, get your facts and then throw it away - better still create your own folder, or book, of interesting information about Whales! Great for homework, or projects, an ideal Educational Resource for facts about Whales!

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