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  Whale Information
There are 72 informational link matches for 'Whale'.
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Beluga Whale
Beluga Whale
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More About Whales ...
Whales are the largest species of exclusively aquatic placental mammals, members of the order Cetacea, which also includes dolphins and porpoises. The term whale is ambiguous: it can refer to all cetaceans, just the largest ones, or only to members of particular families within the order Cetacea. This latter definition is the one followed within Wikipedia. Whales are those cetaceans which are neither dolphins (i.e. members of the families Delphinidae or Platanistoidae) or porpoises. This can lead to some confusion as Orca (Killer Whales) and Pilot Whales have "whale" in their name, but are dolphins from the perspective of classification. Cetologists tend not to worry too much about making a distinction.

Like all members of the order, whales evolved from land mammals which returned to the sea undergoing aquatic adaptation, probably in the Eocene, between 55 and 34 million years ago. The precise ancestry of whales is still obscure, as there is no commonly agreed succession, but they are thought to have evolved from a group of carnivorous artiodactyla (even-toed hoofed animals). In 2001, two important 47-million-year-old partial fossils, named Rodhocetus balochistanensis and Artiocetus clavis, were discovered in Balochistan, Pakistan. These fossils represent intermediate forms between land-living ungulates and whales and are evidence that the whales' closest relatives on land might be hippos, which had been previously suggested by DNA studies. The first fully marine cetaceans, like Basilosaurus, appeared 40 million years ago.

Like all mammals, whales breathe air into lungs, are warm-blooded (i.e., endothermic), breast-feed their young, and have some (very little) hair. The whales' adaptions to a fully aquatic life are quite conspiciuous: The body is fusiform, resembling that of a fish. The forelimbs, also called flippers, are paddle-shaped. The end of the tail holds the fluke, which provides propulsion by vertical movements. Whales do not possess hind limbs, small bones inside the body are the only remains of the pelvis. Most species of whales bear a fin on their backs. Beneath the skin lies a layer of fat, the blubber. It serves as an energy reservoir and also as insulation. Whales have a four-chambered heart. The neck vertebrae are fused in most whales, whhich provides stability during swimming at the expense of flexibility. Whales breathe through blowholes, located on the top of the head so the animal can remain submerged. Baleen whales have two, toothed whales one blowhole. When breathing out after a dive, a spout can be seen from the right perspective, the shape of which differs among the species. Whales have a unique respiratory system that lets them stay underwater for long periods of time without taking any oxygen. Some whales, such as the Sperm Whale, can stay underwater for up to two hours in a single breath.

Whale females give birth to a single calf. Nursing time is long (more than one year in many species), which is associated with a strong bond between mother and young. In most whales reproductive maturity occurs late, typically at seven to ten years. This strategy of reproduction spawns few offspring, provided with a high rate of survival
Source: Wikipedia Read more about Whales
INFO LINKS
Beluga Whale
Searworld.Org
Facts about Belugas or White Whales Read More
Whale
The Whaleman Foundation
dedicated to preserving dolphins, whales and purpoises and their critical habitat Read More
Minke Whale
The Mammal Society - The Voice for British Mammals
Minke Whale Read More
Blue Whale
Enchanted Learning
Blue Whale Read More
Killer Whale
National Geographic - Creature Feature Archive
Killer Whale fun facts Read More
Andrew's beaked whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Andrew's beaked whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Arnoux's beaked whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Arnoux's beaked whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Baird's beaked whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Baird's beaked whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Blainville's beaked whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Blainville's beaked whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Blue whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Blue whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Bryde's whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Bryde's whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Cuvier's beaked whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Cuvier's beaked whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Dwarf sperm whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Dwarf sperm whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
False killer whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
False killer whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Fin whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Fin whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Gervais' beaked whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Gervais' beaked whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Gray's beaked whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Gray's beaked whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Great sperm whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Great sperm whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Grey whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Grey whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Hector's beaked whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Hector's beaked whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Hubb's beaked whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Hubb's beaked whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Humpback whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Humpback whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Indo-Pacific beaked whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Indo-Pacific beaked whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Lesser sperm whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Lesser sperm whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Long-finned pilot whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Long-finned pilot whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Melon-headed whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Melon-headed whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Minke whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Minke whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Narwhal
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Narwhal: Facts and Pictures Read More
Northern bottlenose whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Northern bottlenose whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Northern right whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Northern right whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Pygmy right whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Pygmy right whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Sei whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Sei whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Shepherd's beaked whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Shepherd's beaked whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Short-finned pilot whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Short-finned pilot whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
Southern bottlenose whale
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Southern bottlenose whale: Facts and Pictures Read More
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