|
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
|
|
|
VIDEO CLIPS
|
Whale
0.000MB MOV View Movie
PBS
Whale evolution - how did the whale lose its legs?
|
Whale
0.000MB MOV View Movie
PBS
How Do We Know Evolution Happens? Using whales as examples.
|
Bowhead whale
MOV View Movie
Arkive.org
Nice selection of Bowhead whale video clips available in various formats
|
Sei whale
MOV View Movie
Arkive.org
Nice selection of Sei whale video clips available in various formats
|
Blue whale
MOV View Movie
Arkive.org
Nice selection of Blue whale video clips available in various formats
|
Fin whale
MOV View Movie
Arkive.org
Nice selection of Fin whale video clips available in various formats
|
Grey whale
MOV View Movie
Arkive.org
Nice selection of Grey whale video clips available in various formats
|
Northern right whale
MOV View Movie
Arkive.org
Nice selection of Northern right whale video clips available in various formats
|
Blue Whale
Streaming RAM View Movie
In the Wild Productions
Blue Whale
|
Finback Whale
Streaming RAM View Movie
In the Wild Productions
Breaching
|
Finback Whale
Streaming RAM View Movie
In the Wild Productions
Fluking
|
Finback Whale
Streaming RAM View Movie
In the Wild Productions
Mom and Calf
|
Humpback Whale
Streaming RAM View Movie
In the Wild Productions
Breaching
|
Humpback Whale
Streaming RAM View Movie
In the Wild Productions
Feeding
|
Humpback Whale
Streaming RAM View Movie
In the Wild Productions
Fluking
|
Humpback Whale
Streaming RAM View Movie
In the Wild Productions
Mom and Calf
|
Minke Whale
Streaming RAM View Movie
In the Wild Productions
Close boat approach
|
Pilot Whale
Streaming RAM View Movie
In the Wild Productions
Playing at surface
|
Pilot Whale
Streaming RAM View Movie
In the Wild Productions
Albino pilot whale
|
Minke Whale
0.810MB WMV View Movie
R&C; Photography
Minke Whales at Lemaire Channel
|
Whale
1.320MB MOV View Movie
DVArchive
Whale tail cresting above surface of ocean
|
Whale
MOV View Movie
Dive Site Videos
Whale movie clip
|
Whale
MPG View Movie
Down under Tour
Whale
|
Whale
MPG View Movie
Down under Tour
Whale
|
Whale
MPG View Movie
Down under Tour
Whale
|
Whale
MPG View Movie
Down under Tour
Whale
|
Whale
MPG View Movie
Down under Tour
Whale
|
Whale
MPG View Movie
Down under Tour
Whale
|
Beluga Whale
View Movie
National Geographic
Lifestyles of Beluga Whales
|
Blue Whale
View Movie
National Geographic
Blue Whales
|
Gray Whale
View Movie
National Geographic
Gray Whale Migration
|
Humpback Whale
View Movie
National Geographic
Humpback Whale
|
Narwhal
View Movie
National Geographic
Narwhals
|
Right Whale
View Movie
National Geographic
Right Whale Lanes
|
Sperm Whale
View Movie
National Geographic
Sperm Whale Diving
|
|
