Narwhals are a one of a kind creature. They live in the Arctic waters around Greenland, Canada, and Russia. Narwhals are one of the two living species in the Monodontidae family; the other animal is the Beluga whale. Narwhal males are distinguished by a long, straight, helical tusk, which is an elongated tooth on the upper left portion of their skull. Narwhals are best known for their tusks. They are the only known species of whale to have them. Their tusk is simply just a long and hollow tooth which always spirals counterclockwise. It can measure 2.5-2.7 m long which is 8-9 ft. Most male narwhals have only one tusk, but there have been some narwhals spotted with two. Usually only males develop a tusk, but it has been reported that females have been spotted with a tusk. Narwhals have no visible teeth in their mouths, so they have to swallow their food whole. Just the Beluga whale, narwhals lack a dorsal fin, but they do have a dorsal ridge. Mature narwhals tend to have a black and white spotted coloration along the dorsal region of their body. Older narwhals are almost completely white. Narwhal calves typically have a gray coloration. Males also grow much larger than females. Males can grow up to 5 m which is 16.1 feet and that doesn’t include their tusks. Females only grow up to 13 feet in …show more content…
They breed throughout the winter and spring and have a slight peak in April where they still breed. Males are usually sexually mature by the ages 8-9 years. Females tend be sexually mature around the ages 4-7 years. Narwhals live for about 24-25 years. They have one of the shortest life spans of all whales. People recognize them as Narwhals or Unicorns of the sea. Narwhals come from the kingdom Animalia. They are in the phylum Cordata. Narwhals considered mammals because they reproduce sexually and they have to come up tpo the surface to breathe air. They come from the family Monodontidae monodon which means one
Four hypotheses of how the bodies got there occupation, water transport, predation, and death trap were ruled out. A new hypothesis was formulated what if Homo naledi intentionally buried their dead? Although there is not enough evidence yet to confirm this, such behavior would be significant in that it would precede previous cases of the behavior in Neanderthals and humans. This would add to the argument that Homo naledi are of the genus Homo. After the examination of these fossils and extensive research, it was concluded that Homo naledi were a new species of the Homo genus.
In warmer waters Bull Shark mating occurs year-round while mating females usually receive mating scars on their dorsum, “the back or outer surface of an organ…” (“dorsum”). They typically carry from one to thirteen pups at one time for ten to eleven months. When the female Bull Sharks gives birth it gives birth to free swimming, live young in their nursery grounds that are again, in areas with low salinity and shallow waters (Curtis). The Pups that survive will be around 56 to 81 centimeters long at birth, and grow approximately to be around 340 centimeters when fully matured (Simpfender & Burgess). Female Bull Sharks are typically larger than males when fully grown and mature; the lifespan for both males and females is around 16 years (Curtis). Females on average are around 180 to 230 centimeters long and 285 pounds, and males on average are around 157 to 226 centimeters and 209 pounds, but the biggest known Bull Shark was reported to be 11.5 feet and 500 pounds (Simpfender and Burgess; Curtis). “Bull sharks are pale to dark grey [on their dorsal, and fade] to white on their [ventral, but on] younger individuals the fins have black
Monodon Monoceros, Latin for “one tooth, one horn”#; or Narhval, Norwegian for “corpse whale” , because of it mottled coloration suggests a bloated corpse#.Narwhals are in the white whale family, along with the beluga, but are actually covered with spots of black, white, gray-green, and cream. Newborns are dappled gray-brown, white spots come with age#. At birth the calves are about 5 feet long and 180 pounds. Male Narwhals can reach 16 feet long, not including the horn which is 8 to 9 feet long, and weigh around 3000 pounds. Females are around 13 ft. long, do not have tusks, and weight around 2000 pounds. Adult males and females are usually dark in the area of the head, especially top of the head and upper and lower jaws#. Unlike most other whales, Narwhals have no dorsal fin, instead they have a low bumpy ridge that begins at about the midpoint of the back and continues to the fluke#.
Orcinus orca is the scientific name for the massive marine mammal. Orcas are not rare, but have declining numbers in some areas (Martin.) Orcas are found from the Artic Ocean to the Antartic Ocean. (Britannica) They belong to the Delphinidae, or dolphin family, which is the largest of their species. Female orcas grow to be at the most 15 feet, and weigh up to 4 tons, but the males can grow as large as 20-30 feet, and weight up to 8 tons. (Martin) The color of the orca is white in some spots, black on the majority of the body, and gray just behind the dorsal fin. It is white on the chin, belly and the eye. The white patch above the eye is usually mistaken for the eye, and may confuse their prey, but acts as a camouflage for the eye. The name “killer whale” makes people tend to believe that this is a viscious man-eating mammal, yet it is one of the most shrewd, docile and playful species of the marine mammals. The orca is sexually mature at 10-15 years of age, much like humans, which is 12-13 years of age. They tend to mate year round, and is able to have a calf every two years. It is interesting to know that lactation of the mother lasts 12 or more months (Wynne.) The life expectancy of orcas is 45-50 years of age.
Killer whales have a recognizable coloration with a black back and white belly. They also have a noticeable o...
One of the most fascinating creatures in the ocean is the narwhal. This arctic whale can be recognized by its single spiraled tusk that extends six to nine feet out of its upper jaw (“Morning Edition”). The scientific name for the narwhal, Monodon monoceros is Latin for “one tooth, one horn”. However, the narwhal actually has two teeth and no horns (“Narwhal.org”). In the male narwhal, the left tooth grows into the spiral tusk that is often mistakenly referred to as a “horn”. In rare cases a double-tusk will grow. In general, females do not grow tusks. Their teeth will usually stay shorter than 15 centimeters (“Narwhals”).
The average life span for a wild orca is equivalent to that of a human’s.(Cowperthwaite) Females live up to 80-100 years while males live anywhere from 50-80 years. Trainers, representatives, and promoti...
92% of the whales held in the parks do not live past the age of 25. If you ask any marine biologist that studies the animal they will inform you that their life span is 60 to 90 in the wild, 100 in the best conditions.
Sea lions are parts of the seal family and in the class of Pinnipedia ("Sea lion"). They have external ear flaps and well-developed foreflippers and hind flippers ("Sea lion"). Their predators include killer whales, sharks and humans ("Sea lion"). Sea lions have several types such as Zolophous, Steller, etc. Stellar sea lions are t...
Gray whales are a part of the Baleen Whale family, baleen whales have two blowholes, while toothed whales only have one. Gray whales have rough and short baleen, have no dorsal fin, and only have two to five ventral grooves on the lower jaw. Like many marine animals, gray whales also migrate seasonally. The shape of the gray whales’ torso is the reason why they can dive through water easily and without having the “drag down” feeling. They also have blubbers that can warm them up until the time to migrate. Another adaptation of the gray whales is that they change their feeding styles in order to survive through the climate change and other changes. They usually take a 22,000 kilometers long round-trip journey every year, which is also the longest migration of the mammals.
Shirihai, H. and B. Jarrett (2006). Whales, Dolphins and Other Marine Mammals of the World. Princeton, Princeton University Press. p.185-188.
Humpback whales breath voluntarily, unlike humans. Since they have to remember to breath, researchers believe humpbacks sleep by shutting off half of their brain at a time. Like orcas and dolphins, humpback whales have noses at the top of their head called blowholes (Animal Planet). Humpback whale calves do not stop growing until they are ten years old (National Geographic). They breed, give birth and care for their newborn calves in the warm waters of Tonga. Instead of teeth, humpbacks have baleen plates, they are brush-like strands of bristle that trap there food until it is swallowed. They have very odd mouths that curve downwards, like an eternal frown. Humpback whales are amazing marine mammals (Big Animal Expeditions)
Rowat, D., and K. S. Brooks. 2012. A review of the biology, fisheries and conservation of the whale shark Rhincodon typus. Jour. Of. Fish. Bio. 80:1019-1056. (DOI:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03252.x).
When Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins are first born, they are dark gray and get lighter as they grow older, sometimes this will cause spots (WCD). According to Whitfield on page 114, when the Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphin is young it has a normal streamlined body figure, but when it grows older it start to form fatty tissue humps. They have the average lifespan of 40 years (WCD). The Indo-Pacific dolphin can be between 6 ½ feet to 10 feet long with 120 teeth in their long beak. Using their long beak to eat, these dolphins swim up to the shallow waters and hunt for fish (Whitfield 114). Indo-Pacific dolphins are not the only type of dolphins that pray on the
It also has a lateral line which senses movement in the water. Whale sharks amazingly have 350 rows of the teeth which make the total 3000 teeth. Each tooth is 3 mm thick. The mouth of a whale shark is 4 Feet wide (120 cm). A whale has a complex filtering system. Whale sharks have 3 ridges that run on the side of large gill slits. The spiracle is located near the eye. It is used to breathe. Its skin is 10 centimetres thick. The top fin on the tail is slightly larger than the bottom fin. The tail of the whale shark is half mooned shaped. Whale sharks are slower that most sharks. They have to move their whole body to swim rather that tail. Whale sharks grow up to 9 – 12 meters, when they are adults. The skin of the whale shark is yellow or white blotches. They weigh up to 12,500 kg. The heaviest whale shark was known to weigh 34,000 kg. Whale sharks are curious creature and are friendly to