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| Source: Whales Underwater |
Whales are some of the most amazing
species living on this planet and inhabit all oceans of the world.
Here are wonderfully interesting facts about whales:
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Whales
belong to the order cetacea, meaning they’re mammals that are fully adapted to aquatic
life. They are descendants of land-living animals which returned to water after
living millions of years in land.
·
They
are closely related to dolphins and porpoises.
·
Whales
are mammals - calves grow inside their mothers. They have hair—though very little
of it!
·
Like
all mammals, whales breathe air into lungs, are warm-blooded (thus, they need
to keep their body temperatures high), and feed their young milk.
·
They
all have flippers designed for swimming, a tail with flukes used for navigating
the water and nasal openings (blowholes) for breathing.
·
The
blue whale is the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth. The biggest one
recorded was a female in the Antarctic Ocean that was 30.5 m long (more than
3.5 times the length of a double-decker bus) with an estimated weight of 144
tonnes (about the weight of 2,000 men).
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| Source: Pinterest |
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A
Cuvier's beaked whale has been recorded to dive to a depth of 3km for over 2
hours.
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The
North Atlantic and North Pacific right whales are the most endangered as there
are only about 400-500 North Atlantic individuals currently and fewer than 100
North Pacific right whales. The Western Pacific grey whale may be down to the
last 150 whales.
·
Beluga
whales are known as the canaries of the sea as they make chirping sounds like
the little yellow birds.
·
The
humpback whales that feed in Antarctic waters and swim north to breed off the
coasts of Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica make one of the longest confirmed
migration of any mammal.
·
Sperm
whales are seen as the loudest whales (they have been recorded making sounds at
230 decibels).
·
Whales
can’t sleep for very long as they have to remember to go to the surface for air
as needed.
·
In
order to ensure that whales perform the basic functions to breathe, only one
half of their brain will sleep at a time. Through this, they’re able to get the
amount of rest that they need and still take care of this function that is
necessary for their bodies to survive.
·
Whales
are believed to be the only mammals that are able to adapt to the changing
environment in the waters. This is imperative due to the impact that humans
have had on their natural living environment.
·
They
rely on layers of fat (called blubber) to help them stay warm. In order to
generate it they’ll need to consume large amounts of food in the summer months.
This way when they migrate to the warmer locations to stay warm they will have
the insulation that they need. Most species of whales won’t eat as they migrate
so they do lose some of that blubber in the process.
·
Whales
can have a life span between 40 and 100 years.
·
Based
on their physical characteristics these three groups are further separated into
two suborders: Toothed
Whales (the Odontoceti suborder) and Baleen Whales (the Mysticeti suborder).
·
Distinctly,
all Baleen Whales have two blowholes and Toothed Whales only have one. Because whales
have to fill their lungs with air, they rely on a blowhole at the top of their
body.
·
Here
are a few more distinctions between these two types of whales:
Toothed
Whales
·
It
includes all species of dolphin and porpoise along with whales such as the
sperm whale, killer whale (Delphinidae), beluga whale, and narwhal whale.
·
They
possess teeth and are capable of using echolocation to search for prey and
navigate in low visibility areas.
·
Strangely
toothed whales are only born with one blowhole as opposed to the two blowholes
that baleen whales possess. An assumption is that toothed whales developed one
of their blowholes into an echolocation system to help them survive in the
ocean.
·
With
regards to appearance, toothed whales characteristically have streamlined
bodies designed for fast swimming, but some species do have stockier bodies
than others.
·
Their
teeth are very sharp.
·
When
it comes to their teeth, the number of teeth that a toothed whale possesses can
differ substantially.
·
Some
toothed whales may also have teeth that are present only in their lower jaw
(e.g. the sperm whale).
·
Not
all toothed whales use teeth to hunt for food - some may only use their teeth
to show aggression towards other whales or for self-defence and will consume
their prey whole.
·
The
types of foods they consumes are dependent upon their location.
·
Toothed
Whales are carnivorous and they have teeth allowing them to easily hunt their
prey. They prey on fish, squid, other whales, and marine mammals.
Baleen
Whales
·
It
includes the humpback whale, bowhead whale, blue whale, and minke whale among
other large (toothless) whales.
·
They
are generally larger than toothed whales both in terms of size and overall
weight. However, they don’t have any teeth.
·
It
is comprised solely of whales that possess baleen plates with bristles.
·
Due
to a lack of teeth, they hunt for their food by sifting their prey out of the water
with their baleen bristles by swimming towards their prey with their mouth open
and catching their prey in the bristles which act like a filter by allowing
water to escape while preventing their prey from being able to get out of the
tightly packed bristles.
·
Depending
on the whales species, they may either continuously skim the water with its
mouth open or lunge towards a large swarm of prey and attempt to capture as
many fish or krill as they possibly can in a single gulp.
·
When
the whale has captured enough prey it will push the water out with its tongue
and swallow the remaining food.
·
They
have a relatively small throat when compared to the size of its stomach and
body and they keep to a diet that consists of small, easily consumable prey.
·
They
have a comb-like fringe, called a baleen, on the upper jaw, which is used to
filter plankton, as well as small fish and crustaceans.
·
They
are frequently found in areas where high quantities of krill and other small
digestible ocean animals can be found as they require a constant supply of prey
to stay healthy and thrive in the ocean.
Description
Depending on the whales species their
physical appearance and features can change dramatically. Their bodies resemble
the streamlined form of a fish, while the forelimbs or flippers are
paddle-shaped. The tail fins, or flukes, enable whales to propel themselves
through the water. Most species have a fin on their backs, more commonly known
as a dorsal fin. Beneath the skin
lies a layer of fat (blubber), serving as an energy reservoir and as
insulation. They breathe through blowholes, located on the top of the head so
the animal can remain submerged.
Habitat
and Range
Whales live only in water, and tend to
stay where it is warmer. This is the reason why they’re observed along the
coasts during the winter months. They migrate to
other regions so they can keep their body temperatures high enough. Whales live
in all of the world's oceans, though their specific range varies by species. Many
whales are leaving their natural habitat as a result of climate changes from
global warming, humans being in their natural locations in boats, and even the
fact that their food sources are becoming scarce in particular areas. Most of
the larger giant whales do live in areas that are cold, including the Artic.
This is due to the fact that they have a high volume of blubber to help with
their body temperatures. There are subdivisions of these whale habitats in the
Artic. Some of them live off shore where there isn’t any ice. They go deep
enough into the waters, offering them more warmth than the areas that are dense
and have ice on the top.
Diet
Whales are very large mammals so,
unsurprisingly, they consume large amounts of food each day. The diet of whales depends on their species; it can
range from microscopic plankton to large marine mammals. They are very good
predators and find what they need to fill up on in the waters where they live. Even
though, whales do prefer larger fish for their meals, they will resort to
consuming the microscopic organisms found in the water if the food supply is
scarce. Some types of whales have very large stomachs so they don’t eat every
day (for example the Blue Whale can hold up to 2,200 pounds of food). The more
aggressive predators (e.g. the Tooth Whales) eat larger fish and other aquatic
life. Although, they do have teeth, most of them don’t use them to tear apart
their food. Instead, they use the teeth for the killing process only and then
end up swallowing their prey whole. The habits vary considerably based upon the
species of whale and the region that they live in. Female whales produce milk
in the mammary glands that they’re able to feed to their young.
Mating
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| Source: Pinterest |
Male whales are mature between 7 and 10
years of age. For females maturity occurs about 5 to 7 years of age. Since the
gestation period ranges from 10 to 16 months, it depends on the type of whale
and how far they migrate and what their migration time frame is. Males will come to other pods for the chance
to mate with their females, reducing inbreeding among these mammals. A female
that is mature will generally have a new calf every 2 or 3 years. They
typically only give birth to one calf at a time. Twins can be found but this
rarely occurs. The calves are born with their fins emerging first. The
offspring are born during the migration process in most cases. Some of them
consume up to 400 liters of milk every day. Others will consume about half of
that amount. They’ll continue to feed from their mother for at least their
first year. Thereafter, they will be taught to hunt so that they can get their
own food. Generally a calf is about a quarter of the mother’s length. Thus, it
means that some of the larger offspring (e.g. those from Blue Whales) will be
bigger at birth than other whales will be when they’re fully mature. Young
whales tend to have a very good chance of surviving to their own maturity.
Communication
and Vocalizations
Whales have a very intriguing method of
communicating known as echolocation. When you listen to the sounds that whales
make to communicate, you will notice they are very unique. They are able to get
their sounds to travel for miles as the sound waves move along in the water and
get more power from bouncing off what is found in it. Then the sounds will echo
back to the whale that sends them. This form of communication can go one mile
each second. Their sounds are very unique. Clicks are part of the basis of such
communication as it helps them to navigate through the waters. Since whales create small pods, there are
communications that are varied in them. During this mating
season, changes in the calls and communications among the whales occur.
Whale
singing
Male humpback whales sing the most complex
songs and have long, varied, eerie, and beautiful songs that include
recognizable sequences of squeaks, grunts, and other sounds. The songs have the
largest range of frequencies used by whales, ranging from 20-9,000 hertz. Only
male humpback whales have been recorded singing. They sing these complex songs
only in warm waters where they breed and give birth. In cold waters, they make
rougher sounds, scrapes and groans, perhaps used for locating large masses of
krill (the tiny crustaceans that they eat). Singing is another form of
communication that only the humpback whales engage in. They are more apt to
sing these songs when they are migrating and mating. It is almost like written
lyrics that then come to a familiar chorus. These songs can be up to 30 minutes
in length. The sounds can travel as far as 100 miles from the location of the
humpback whale that created it.
The various whale communications increase
during the mating season. The males often sing low songs to the females as a
way to court them. These low songs serve as a warning to other males in the
area though to stay away. It could be also mean that the female he is
interested and lets other males know that they need to find someone else for
their own interests.
Echolocation
and Navigation
When it comes to navigating the ocean
(whether to search for food or avoid collision with nearby objects in dark
areas) the toothed whale suborder is capable of navigating the ocean and
hunting for food using echolocation, allowing these whales to create sounds and
determine the distance, size, density and speed of objects in the areas by
interpreting the echo’s frequency and measuring the time it takes for the
emitted sounds to come back to them. It also allows cetaceans to coordinate
attacks with one another when searching for prey as it allows them to identify
where their team is and what they are doing. Toothed whales keep track of the
location of specific pod members as they swim below the oceans surface or
travel in groups, which is particularly important when a mother wants to keep
track of her child. While previously thought to be exclusive among the toothed
whale species, research suggests that echolocation may also be present in some
baleen whale species, but the extent and capabilities of echolocation among
baleen whales remains unknown.
Migration
Whales have two primary seasons (with the
exception of a few species) of migration that are known as feeding season and
mating season. Depending
on their location and the time of the year these marine mammals will migrate
between the cold and warm climates during these two seasons. During feeding
months (the colder months of the year) whales will travel to their local
feeding grounds and spend their time consuming as much prey as possible.
Predators
Whales have no natural predators in the
water and, thus, have been able to live for many years in the water if the
conditions are right.
Social
Structure
The social structure for whales is one
that is very interesting. Whales have the ability to develop a social
hierarchy, play games together, teach each other survival strategies and hunt
in cohesive well-organized groups. They are avid communicators.
Behavior
Generally the pods of whales are relaxed
and friendly in nature, except during mating season. Many whales, especially
baleen whales, tend to migrate long distances from their cold-water feeding
grounds to warm-water breeding grounds each year. They travel alone or in
groups, or pods, on their annual migrations. Toothed whales often hunt in
groups, migrate together and share young-rearing duties.
Humans
and Whales
The future for whales could be in jeopardy
due to the continual destruction of their living areas. As waste is allowed to
pollute the waters that they live in they will become less populated. They also
have to move to new locations when their own food sources move on.
Consequently, they are more likely to get caught up in fixing nets and hit by
boats.
Threats
to Whales
Whales have also, like most marine
creatures, felt the effects of climate change. Sea level rise and changes in
sea temperature will leave whales considerably vulnerable, and they may not be
able to adapt rapidly enough in order to survive. Moreover, higher water
temperatures in the Antarctic Ocean are reducing populations of krill, a
small-shrimp-like crustacean. This is the main food source for many large whale
species. Whaling is one of the biggest threats to whales. Moreover, various
species of small whales are caught as bycatch in fisheries for other species.
Exposure to contaminants
and pollution threaten whales.
Intelligence
Whales are considered one of the most intelligent animals on earth. Scientists have studied whale intelligence for decades and have learned a lot about their hunting methods, social structure, breeding habits and various other indicators related to what most people would consider social, survival and individual intelligence. Whales can communicate their desires such as wanting to play or an interest in mating, hunting strategies and the location of potential prey and warn other pod members of nearby threats such as sharks or killer whales as well as communicate other important aspects of their lives. When it comes to cetaceans that have developed close relationships with family and friends, these marine mammals can be seen protecting one another from predators and other potential threats. They show deep emotions in their ability to connect with others, morn death and celebrate vitality.
Whale Beaching
Annually, approximately 2000 whales end up beaching themselves and dying. While many beached whales end up stranded on a beach or sandy environment a whale can end up beaching itself anyplace where the ocean meets land. The causes of most beachings are generally as a result of sickness, a loss of direction, an injury or a deceased whale brought in by the tide. As a whale ends up stranding itself on land it ultimately dies due to dehydration, difficulty breathing (whales are extremely heavy and may be crushed by their own weight) or drowning caused by the high tides when water rises above the whale’s head preventing it from breathing through its blowhole.
WHALE SPECIES
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| Source: Pinterest |
BLUE
WHALE - Balaenoptera
musculus
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| Source: WWF |
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Blue
Whales belong to the baleen category.
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The
blue whale appears to be closer to a grayish blue rather than a deep blue color
when at the surface of the water, but when it dives the light distortion of the
water gives this whale its deep blue appearance.
·
Blue
Whales are very large whales that can measure up to 108 feet and weight about
190 tons.
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| Source: TreeHugger |
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The
tongue alone of a blue whale can weigh as much as an elephant!
·
Their
heart is about the size of a VW Beetle car and weighs up to 450kg (about the
size of a VW Beetle car).
·
The
new-born calf is about 7.5 m long and weighs about 5.5 – 7.3 tonnes and drinks
about 225 litres of its mother’s fat-laden milk (it is 40-50% fat) a day, gaining
3.7 kilograms an hour, until at age 8 months they are 15 m long and 22.5
tonnes!
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The
mother and calf may stay together for a year or longer, until the calf is about
13 m long.
·
Blue
whales reach maturity at 10-15 years.
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Their
call can reach levels up to 188 decibels and last up to 30 seconds.
Description
The Blue Whale belongs to the baleen
category. Blue Whales are very large whales that can measure up to 105 feet and
weight about 190 tons. The Blue Whale is the largest of all the whales in the world.
In fact, it is the largest mammal in the world. Yet it is also very slender due
to the length of the body. It allows all of that weight to be evenly
distributed. As a result, the Blue Whale can move very fast in the water. To
help a Blue Whale move around with ease, they have very long flippers. They
average from 10 to 13 inches in length when one is fully mature. They are able
to move at a rate of about 30 miles per hour through the water when they want
to. A normal pace for them though is more along the lines of 12 miles per hour.
Behavior
Blue Whales tend to be the loners of the
world of whales. Occasionally, a pair of them can be observed, but not more
than that. Most frequently will be a mother and her baby. At times it may
appear though that they form large clans, but it is due to the abundance of
food in a given region though than their behaviors relating to interactions
with each other. They can only remain under water for about 20 minutes before
surfacing for air. As a result they are very often watched by those interested
in seeing large sized whales.
Diet/Feeding
They daily consume very large amounts of
small krill and other life forms. They search for squid and will feed on it
alone when it is plentiful. On average,
they will daily consume about 8,000 pounds of food each day. Because baby Blue
Whales consume anything from 100 to 150 gallons of milk from their mother each
day, feeding them is a full time job.
Distribution
There are several subspecies. Thus, they’re
often misidentified as another type. They are mainly found in the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans. Some have been identified along the Indian Ocean as well. They
used to be found in all the bodies of ocean water out there, but their numbers have
dropped considerably.
Reproduction
They have a very long season when it comes
to the mating process. It begins in the late autumn and runs through the
winter. Females are mature at about 10 years and males are mature around 12
years of age. A female will have a calf
every two or three years. The offspring are about 23 feet long at birth and can
weigh up to three tons.
Conservation
Conservations efforts have been in place
for the Blue Whale since the 1960’s. Their numbers are now around 12,000. They
can live a very long life of up to 80 years in the wild if such conservation
efforts take place.
HUMPBACK
WHALE
– Megaptera novaeangliae
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| Source: National Geographic Kids |
Description
It’s one of the most recognized of them
all due to the hump over the dorsal fin. They have an average size of 52 feet
long. There is quite a difference in their sizes depending on location when it
comes to weight. Those that live in cooler regions can be up to 40 tons whiles
those in the tropical areas are about 30 tons. They have a very long tail that
can be up to a third of body length. They have huge flippers that are often
referred to as wings do to the position of them as they leap out of the water. Their
heart has four chambers.
Behavior
They tend to do plenty of great moves and
flips in the air effortlessly as they rise to the surface for air. Another
characteristic is to lift up the head and not the rest of the body, giving the
appearance that they are very curious about their surroundings. They are
extremely social, and sing louder than most other. Their songs can be heard for
several miles. They form very small and intimate groups and stay in the same
groups for most of their lives, too.
Diet/Feeding
They have a more detailed feeding system
than any other whale. They feature grooves on the throat, allowing it to open up
and to expand when they eat, thereby taking in huge amounts of water. The
filtering system keeps the food and pushes the water out. They’re seasonal
feeders. They cut down to almost nothing when they migrate. They consume from 3,000
pounds of food daily if available. They have a very detailed system within
their pod to help them with hunting for food, called bubble net feeding. They
create a circle under the water with their bodies and then blow bubbles. The
bubbles trap the small sea life that they would like to consume. This mass of
prey will rise up and then they eat it with ease. This is particularly helpful
since they don’t swim very fast (up to 9 miles per hour), but they can reach up
to 16 miles per hour at times.
Distribution
They are generally found at the surface of
the ocean waters. They migrate long distances. Because they move slowly, it
takes them a while to complete the process. However, they do move steadily
towards their destination with almost no time to stop and rest.
Reproduction
After conception it can be close to 11.5
months before the calf is born. Caring for these calves can be hard though due
to them consuming many gallons of milk every day. Their mating process is
somewhat unknown, except for the deep, eerie songs that the males will belt out
for courting process of it.
Conservation
Gloomily, there are very few Humpback
Whales left. It is estimated that there can’t be more than 15,000 of them in
the world. Conservation efforts have been initiated to help them to climb back
up there. One can live up to 50 years in the wild if they have the umbrella of
protection that they need.
GRAY
WHALES - Eschrichtius robustus
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| Source: Wikipedia |
They are the second largest whale. They migrate
huge distances. In fact, some may even rival the humpback for distance
travelled. Some travel a round-trip of between 16,000–20,000 km (10,000–12,400
miles) every year between their winter calving lagoons in the warm waters of
Mexico and their summer feeding grounds in the cold Arctic seas, however a
female grey whale has recently been recorded as having made an even longer
round-trip of 22,500km (14,000 miles) migrating between the east coast of
Russia and the breeding grounds of Mexico. In its lifetime (that’s about 40
years), they travel a distance that is equivalent to going to the moon and
back!
Despite their size, the fin whale is known
as the "greyhound of the sea". They can reach speeds of up to 20mph
(32kph)! Whales have their own hierarchy in their groups that is very closely
followed. They are excellent parents to their offspring and they are able to
communicate with a variety of sounds. They value their relationships with each
other.
The physical design of the whale is very
complex yet this why they are able to survive in the water. Nevertheless, they
have some characteristics that make them quite familiar in various ways. They
primarily depend on their flippers and their dorsal fins to help them move in
the water and to stay balanced. They have blowholes at the top of them where
they take in air. Then they can be submerged under the water for a period of
time before they need to take another breath.
NARWHAL
WHALE
- Monodon monoceros
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| Source: Pinterest |
Description
The Narwhal Whale is a toothed whale. It
fits in about the mid-range when it comes to sizes of whales. One of their dissimilar
characteristics for the males is a tusk that is very long and straight along
the jaw. Mature males are up to 3,500 pounds with females much smaller at 1,800
pounds. When they are young, they are black and white but by the time they are
mature they will be completely white with some patches.
Behavior
They can dive very deeply in order to help
regulate the body temperature as the water will be warmer where it is deeper.
They can spend a lot of time underneath thick sheets of ice too before they
have to find a crack in it for air or come completely to the surface. They can
dive from 2,600 feet
to 4,900 feet .
They are social mammals and gather in large groups. There are normally 10 to 15
in a clan. When there are several males, they may rub tusks with each other in
a manner. While they migrate seasonally, they have a very short distance that
they follow. This is believed to be due to the specific foods that they
consume. They are more precise about what they consume than most other forms of
whales out there.
Diet/Feeding
They have a very specialized diet and this
is why they don’t migrate. Some of the most popular foods that they consume
include cod, halibut, squid, and shrimp. Their diet will depend on what time of
year it happens to be. In the winter months they will consume what are known as
flatfish under the layers of ice. One of the biggest threats out there to this
particular type of whale is global warming. As the layers of ice in this area
melt there is less of a food selection. Climate changes can make it hard for
them to find enough food to survive on at times.
Distribution
You will mainly find the Narwhal Whale out
there around the Artic areas. They have been found to reside around Canada and
Russia. The most recent count is approximately 75,000 of them.
Reproduction
Very little is actually known about the
reproduction process for the Narwhal Whale. This is due to the time of year
when they do it and the limited access available to humans in such remote
areas. It is believed that the gestation period is from 10 to 16 months in
length. It is also believed that the young only nurse from 4 to 6 months rather
than the first year of life which is standard for whales.
SPERM
WHALE - Physeter
macrocephalus
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| Source: Smithsonian Magazine |
·
It’s
the largest of all toothed whales.
·
When
people observe a sperm whale, they usually think of the story of Moby Dick.
·
Sperm
whales are great divers as adults can stay underwater for almost two hours and
dive to depths of 2,000 metres or more. They eat squid, which can live very
deep in the ocean, so sperm whales have to dive down into the deepest parts of
the sea to catch them.
·
The
sperm whale’s huge head (it is up to a third of its overall body length, houses
the heaviest brain in the animal kingdom - up to 9kg).
Description
The Sperm Whale is the largest of toothed
whales, and many people immediately think of the story of Moby Dick when they
see one. It is well known for the grayish color that it features. The unique
body design also offers a very large head with rows of sharp teeth. Full grown,
one is about 67 feet in length and will weigh close to 56 tons. They only have
one blowhole and a brain that weighs close to 20 pounds. This is the largest
brain of any animal on Earth. The flippers of the Sperm Whale are extremely
large. They get their name from the fact that they produce Spermaceti Oil. This
is produced in their heads.
Behavior
It holds the record for being able to dive
deeper than any other whale. It can go to the depths of 3,300 feet. They form
pods with very strong emotional bonds. It is very interesting to observe how
they interact with each other and how they care for one another. They nurture
their young and even care for those that have been injured or become ill. Many
people think that the Sperm Whale is very lazy. It often is seen engaging in a
behavior called logging. This is a position where they remain just below the
surface of the water. The tail will be completely submerged though. They simply
float in this position and are very calm. They are often seen moving at a speed
of about 3 miles per hour. However, they can move close to 25 miles per hour
for short periods of time if necessary. A sperm whale's
sound lasts for only around 100 microseconds (a microsecond is 1 millionth of a
second).
Diet/Feeding
The fact that the Sperm Whale can dive so
deep helps tremendously when it comes to feeding. They are bottom feeders and
easily access what is at the bottom of the waters. Common prey includes squid,
fish, eels, and even an occasional octopus. Many Sperm Whales have been noted
to have scars all over their heads. They are believed to be the result of squid
that attack when they are going to be eaten. They can easily consume up to a
ton of food daily. They are often heard making sounds in the waters. It was
once thought that these were only to communicate with each other. It is now
believed that some of these sounds are actually used to attract prey to them in
the murky waters where they don’t have good visibility.
Distribution
You will find the Sperm Whales in most
oceans out there. They enjoy both the tropical and the cooler bodies of water.
Reproduction
Female Sperm Whales only have offspring
every 5 years so with low numbers of them it is hard for them to increase.
Other females will assist with the birth which is quite fascinating for animals
to be a part of. These calves drink milk for up to two years which is twice as
long as other baby whales.
The females are very protective of their
young. The work together to make sure that they are well cared for to. One or
two of the females will dive to bring food to the young while other females
care for all of them. The young can’t dive as deeply for food due to their need
to surface frequently for air. As it gets older that capacity will increase and
they can get their own food.
Conservation
Since the Sperm Whale is endangered, there
are plenty of conservation efforts out there for it. There are about 200,000 of
them remaining at this time. However, it is easier now that the demand for oil
from whales has dramatically diminished. Their numbers initially dropped though
due to aggressive hunting by whalers.
BELUGA
WHALE
- Delphinapterus leucas
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| Source: National Geographic Kids |
Description
Belugas are toothed whales. They’re about
13-15 feet in length. It has a whitish color and has a type of formation to the
head that is sticking out slightly. It is a toothed whale and has quite a bit
of flexibility for movement around the head. The males can weigh up to 3,500
pounds with the females smaller at around 2,600. Many people mistakenly believe
that it has a dorsal fin, but it’s categorized as a ridge instead of a fin.
They have short flippers and a long tail. The older they get, the longer the
tail will become. Adult beluga whales are easily distinguished by their often
pure white skin, their small size and their lack of dorsal fin. Belugas have a
broad, rounded head and a large forehead. They have a five-inch-thick layer of
blubber and a tough dorsal ridge that helps them travel through sea ice waters. They have broad, paddle-like flippers and notched
tails. Unlike other cetaceans, belugas can move their head up, down, and
side-to-side because their cervical vertebrae are not fused. This adaptation is
believed to help them manoeuvre and catch prey in silt-laden or ice-covered
areas.
Behavior
They have a very high pitched sound, used
for socializing. Interestingly, they spend more time interacting with each
other than any other type of whale. The males are inclined to form large clans
with thousands of them during migrations. Females along with their babies form
their own clans but tend to keep them smaller in size. They remember their
mothers and bond year after year. They can dive thousands of feet into the
waters. Most of the time, they stay closer to the top. They have to surface for
air approximately every 20 minutes. They will dive deep in order to find food
as they can get down and back up very quickly. Belugas forage for food in the
water column and on the seabed, typically takes place at depths of up to 1,000
feet, but they can dive to at least twice this depth. Belugas congregate and
travel in groups from 2-3 to as many as several hundred.
Diet
Belugas are known to use sound to find
their prey. They swim slowly so that it can find the food it desires,
consisting mainly of fish. During the migration process, their pattern tends to
follow the salmon. But, they do consume crab, squid, and even shrimp when it’s
available. They are opportunistic feeders, feeding on salmon, eulachon, tomcod,
smelt, char, rainbow sole, whitefish, saffron and arctic cod, herring, shrimp,
mussels, octopus, crabs, clams, mussels, snails, and sandworms.
Distribution
and range
They are well adapted to their arctic and
sub-arctic environment. They are mainly found in Russia, Canada, Alaska, and
Greenland and move to shallow bays during summers. They do migrate quite a
distance in the winter though to get to warmer waters. They’re able to find
cracks in the ice so that they can get air as needed when they come up from the
depths of the water. They’re distributed throughout seasonally ice-covered
arctic and subarctic waters. They inhabit waters off the shores of Russia,
Greenland, Canada, Norway, and the United States (Alaska). They are found close
to shore or in the open sea. During the summer months in some areas they gather
in the estuaries of rivers to feed and calve. Some are migratory within their
limited range, while others remain residents of a specific area.
Communication
They also use sound to communicate and
navigate by producing a variety of clicks, chirps and whistles.
Reproduction
The majority of the time, the females can
conceive from February and May. The baby will nurse from its mother for about 2
years before venturing on its own. Young belugas are usually dark grey in
color. The grey progressively lightens as they grow up - reaching their
permanent color by the age of seven for females and nine for males. Calves
nurse for about two years. The mating season is from late winter to early
spring. The gestation period is 15 months and the number of offspring is one
calf.
Population
Although it’s difficult for an accurate
count as they’re so widely distributed, it is estimated that their numbers are
in the hundreds of thousands.
Conservation
All of these whales found in Alaska are
protected due to them being on the endangered species list. They can survive in
the wild for about 50 years, but there are less than 100,000. This particular
whale has a predator other than humans which is rare: they’re often hunted by
polar bears and killer whales. They biggest conservation efforts involve
keeping the waters free from pollution.
Importance
Because they eat marine species that are
most common each season, they play an imperative role in the health of the
overall ecosystem. Furthermore, they are one of Alaska’s most well-known marine
animals and a key draw for tourists and residents traveling along the coastal
areas in the state.
Some of the other species include:
Fin Whale
The fin whale (nicknamed the razorback) is
the second largest animal in the world.
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| Source: WWF |
Minke Whale
The smallest of the baleen category is the
Minke Whale. They aren’t likely to be more than 30 feet long or to weigh more
than 7 tons.
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| Source: Pinterest |
Pilot Whale
They are dark black in color most of the
time. Some of them are a dark gray. There are two species of the Pilot whale,
but it is often very hard to tell them apart.
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| Source: Whales Forever |
Right Whale
They can weigh up to 100 tons as well as
be up to 60 feet long.
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| Source: Australia Animal Learning Zone |
Bowhead Whale
Today the bowhead whale is also called
with several other names including Greenland right whale, Arctic whale, polar
whale, steeple-top and Russian whale.
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| Source: Dog breeds |
References
