WHALES
They may be the world’s oldest mammals and are the longest lived of all whales – possibly over 200 years!
It is thought that whales feel emotions.
INTERESTING FACTS
Their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant. Their hearts, as much as a car.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF WHALES
The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is a large baleen whale that belongs to the group commonly known as Cetacea which is comprised of all species of whale, dolphin and porpoise.
The gray whale is a dark grayish slate color with white patches covering its body, hence its name.When fully grown the gray whale can grow to lengths of over 50 ft. long, however their average size is closer to 44 – 48 ft. long.
As with other baleen whales the female gray whales usually grow slightly larger than their male counterparts.
Toothed whales as you probably guessed it have teeth which they use for grabbing, biting and/or chewing their prey.
BABIES CALVES
PREDATORS
Upon birth the baby whale is usually delivered tail first in order to prevent the possibility of drowning, although in some situations a whale may also be delivered head first.
A whales pregnancy cycle can last anywhere from 10 months all the way up to 18 months and on average a female whale will bare a single offspring once every 1 – 6 years while she is fertile.
Depending on the species and their psychological dependency on their mother some whales may be seen suckling for as long as 24 months, and in some cases the baby may continue to suckle even after the mother is no longer lactating.
Humans have hunted whales for many millenia.
Lacking any natural predators of their own these dolphins are able to freely hunt their prey without fear of being hunted or attacked themselves.
shark attacks generally occur against smaller whales or baby whales as they are often easier prey to attack.
