Whale weighs as much as 20 elephants but lives beneath the sea. The blue
whale is Earth's largest animal. Larger than the largest of ancient
dinosaurs, blue whales can grow to be more than 100 feet (30 meters) long
and weigh nearly 150 tons. Not all whales are so large. The much smaller
pilot whale grows to about 28 feet (8.5 meters) in length. And dolphins,
which belong to the whale family, range only from 3 to 13 feet (1 to 4
meters). Although whales spend their lives in the sea, they are, like
humans, warm-blooded mammals. After a baby whale is born, it nurses on its
mother's milk, just like the young of land mammals.
Whales are members of the order Cetacea, along with dolphins, porpoises, and
the narwhal. There are two basic types of living cetaceans: baleen, or
whalebone, whales of the scientific suborder Mysticeti; and toothed whales
of the suborder Odontoceti.
General Characteristics
Whales live in all of the open seas of the world, though some occasionally
enter coastal waters. Some species, such as the white whale, or beluga, may
travel upstream in large rivers. Some species migrate with the seasons;
others remain year-round in the same habitats, where they find their
preferred food.
The present-day distribution and abundance of some species has been greatly
influenced by the commercial whaling industry. Whalers eliminated or greatly
reduced the numbers of some species of baleen whales in certain oceanic
regions where whales once frolicked in abundance. This is particularly true
in parts of the Arctic Ocean and the eastern North Atlantic Ocean, where the
blue whale was almost completely exterminated in the early 1900s. Some
species of whales, however, are numerous today in the Arctic and Antarctic
regions.
The skin of whales is usually black, gray, black and white, or all white.
Some, such as the blue whale, have skin that is bluish-gray. The surface of
the skin is smooth, but like other mammals, whales have hair. Hair first
appears while the fetal whale is still developing inside its mother's womb.
In adult whales, hair is confined primarily to a few bristles in the head
region and is largely absent over most of the body. Whales that live in
polar regions are insulated from the extreme cold by a layer of blubber, or
fat, enveloping their bodies.
Baleen Whales
The baleen whales inc...
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In 1946 the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was established to set up
the guidelines followed by whaling nations today. The sizes, kinds,
locations, and seasons of catches are controlled. However, strong
international politics came into play, and some nations steadfastly voted
against, or even ignored, restrictions that were not economically
advantageous. The limitations were passed almost too late for the blue
whale, which had already declined to dangerously low numbers in all oceans.
The once large populations of blue whales in the eastern North Atlantic were
almost brought to extinction. Today, fewer than 500, and possibly as few as
100, are found there. In 1971 the United States declared all commercially
exploited whales endangered species and made it illegal to import any whale
products. The United States lists the blue, bowhead, finback, gray,
humpback, right, sei, and sperm whales as endangered species. Therefore, we
should take goof care of whale.
Works Cited
Cousteau, Jacques, and Paccalet, Yves. Whales (W.H. Allen, 1998).
Tinker, S.W. Whales of the World (Bess Press, 1997).
Day, David. The Whale War (Sierra Club Books, 1997).
“… building a tank the size of Rhode Island wouldn’t be large enough for a six-ton male killer whale such as Tilikum, an animal capable of swimming 100 miles a day,” states an anonymous whale expert. Whales have been in captivity since 1861 when P.T. Barnum displayed the first live whale that was captured in Canada. However, Barnum had no idea how to care for the mammal and it died after only a week in captivity. (Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2014) Being up close with killer whales could give us some clues about how they interact with each other, including physical behavior, their dialect, and how their pods work together as a family unit. However, what we are finding is that whales who belong in the wild are suffering in captivity. Killer whales have no record of ever harming a human being in the wild. In captivity, there have been many incidents of killer whales harming or even killing their trainers. What would cause them to do this in captivity, but not in the wild? They have been known to resort to aggression toward themselves and each other, in what scientist believe to be a stress induced behavior. (Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2014) Evidence against having these wild animals in captivity is increasing and we need reevaluate the value of capturing and holding killer whales for our educational purposes, enjoyment, and profit.
Killer whales are one of the most fascinating displays of ocean life. The killer whale has characteristics that are important to its survival in the ocean. It is interesting to know that killer whales have a plentiful diet. It is astounding to see how killer whales behave in the ocean. I plan to tell you about the killer whale, its characteristics, its diet, and its behavior in the ocean as well as the predation of the orca.
McLendon, Russell. "10 of the Most Endangered Whales on Earth." MNN. N.p., 23 June 2010. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.
To fight is to stand up for what is right, break through the walls of what is acceptable, and to have the fire blazing in the eyes of a warrior. Throughout life society has taught humanity to form into a definite way that should not ever change, but through life there has been a small population who are immune from societies spell. The outcasts that must battle to stand up for what they believe is right. In the novels Antigone, Anthem, and in the movie Whale Rider, the main characters fight for what they believe is right by standing up to society's norms the society has deemed acceptable.
An English naturalist Charles Darwin (1802-1882) developed a theory of biological evolution. He studied variation in plants and animals during his five years’ voyage around the world in the 19th century. Darwin studied hundreds of species, which he researches variations between locations. His theory states that all species of organism arise and develop through natural selection. Natural selection is the process of organisms that adapt to their surrounding environment, which tend to survive and produce more offspring. Killer whales are remarked to have evolutionary links from land dwelling organisms, millions of years ago. This paper will display the evolution and natural selection of the killer whale.
Orcas, or killer whales are majestic giants of the sea. They are actually the largest type of dolphin. They have long black bodies with distinct white patches near their eyes. A killer whale can be up to 32 feet or more in length, and weigh up to 12,000 pounds. Females are a bit smaller, but live longer (Gorman). The name “killer whale” apparently came not because it is a vicious whale, but because it preys on whales. They do not have any natural predators, and they are considered the “top dog” of the ocean. Not even the great white shark stands a chance against these superb killers. “Unlike sharks, killer whales are cautious hunters, sometimes spending hours harassing a 1,000-pound sea lion so it can easily be drowned” (Francis). Orcas use many hunting tactics that are unique to their species, which is what makes them invincible.
People generally think that the largest animals ever to live on earth were the dinosaurs, but even those giants were not as huge as the blue whalethat is still alive today. Named for its blue-gray color, this huge cetacean may grow to be roughly 30.5 m (100 ft) long and weigh more that 108,000 kg (120 tons). Its close relatives include the smaller fin, humpback, sei, Bryde's, and minke whales.
Although the dorsal fin of a blue whale is much smaller compared to the rest of its body, it
Family therapy is often needed when families go through transitions such as separations between parents and divorce. According to research, “the power of family therapy derives from bringing parents and children together to transform their interactions” (Nichols, & Davis, p.18), as problems need to be addressed at their source. The children who are the most vulnerable, when parents decide to separate, exhibit symptoms which are exaggerations of their parent’s problems (Nichols, & Davis, p.18). Frank and Walt Berkman are the examples of how children cope and adapt to the stressors of family separations such as marital separations and
The story Whale Talk takes place in a small town in Washington. I believe this stories main purpose is to show the physical and psychological effects abuses has on kids, and show there are evil people in the world, but eventually their evil will catch up with them. No matter how bad things get, a good person will eventually win over an evil person. There is multiple examples of, multiple types of, abuse, not only child abuse, but also domestic abuse in adults and teens alike.
Like almost any other animal the octopus has many dangers that they need to hide from. Octopuses are masters of camouflage and have amazing defensive skills that can be used for fighting. Octopi are known for defending themselves against small sharks and other dangerous predators. An octopus uses its color changing abilities to blend in with its surroundings and to warn other animals to prevent them from attacking the octopus.
The origin of modern day whales, a mystery that has puzzled paleontologists for years, may have just been solved with the discovery of an ankle bone. This discovery might sound simple and unimportant, but the bones of these ancient animals hold many unanswered questions and provide solid proof of origin and behavior. The relationship between whales and other animals has proven to be difficult because whales are warm-blooded, like humans, yet they live in the sea. The fact that they are warm-blooded suggests that they are related to some type of land animal. However, the questions of exactly which animal, and how whales evolved from land to water, have remained unanswered until now.
Shirihai, H. and B. Jarrett (2006). Whales, Dolphins and Other Marine Mammals of the World. Princeton, Princeton University Press. p.185-188.
Elephants should not be killed because they are one of the main reasons that people visit the foreign land of Africa. Africa is incredibly hot and is not the most intriguing place to go on your vacation. If there were no elephants the amount of tourists would significantly decrease. Twenty eight percent of all tourist come to see the elephants. In the movie “Ivory Wars” the narrator says “ One of the few attractions for tourists is the African elephants that run wild and free across the vast plains of the continent of Africa.” When the amount of tourists decrease so does the money that they pay to see the elephants at a safari. Africa is obviously does not have the strongest economy to begin with and without the elephants to bring in tourists the continent of Africa will fall apart. Elephants are exotic and amazing to see, and without them would there really be a reason to visit Africa?
Its body and dorsal surfaces have patterns of light spots and stripes over a dark blue background. The whale shark’s length ranges from 12 meters up to 20 meters on average. Females typically grow to be bigger than the males and weigh anywhere from 47,000lbs to 66,000lbs as adults. It is estimated that this species average lifespan is around 70 years, though accurately measurements have proven difficult (Stevens 2006). Rhincondon typus is known to be primarily a loner traveling by itself the majority of the time, although they are known to seasonally aggregate in specific areas.