Whale Wikipedia. For further information, see Cetacea. Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquaticplacentalmarine mammals. They are an informal grouping within the infraorder Cetacea, usually excluding dolphins and porpoises. Whales, dolphins and porpoises belong to the order Cetartiodactyla with even toed ungulates and their closest living relatives are the hippopotamuses, having diverged about 4. The two parvorders of whales, baleen whales Mysticeti and toothed whales Odontoceti, are thought to have split apart around 3. The whales comprise eight extantfamilies Balaenopteridae the rorquals, Balaenidae right whales, Cetotheriidae the pygmy right whale, Eschrichtiidae the grey whale, Monodontidae belugas and narwhals, Physeteridae the sperm whale, Kogiidae the dwarf and pygmy sperm whale, and Ziphiidae the beaked whales. Whales are creatures of the open ocean they feed, mate, give birth, suckle and raise their young at sea. So extreme is their adaptation to life underwater that they are unable to survive on land. Whales range in size from the 2. The sperm whale is the largest toothed predator on earth. Several species exhibit sexual dimorphism, in that the females are larger than males. Baleen whales have no teeth instead they have plates of baleen, a fringe like structure used to expel water while retaining the krill and plankton which they feed on. They use their throat pleats to expand the mouth to take in huge gulps of water. Balaenids have heads that can make up 4. Law And Order Season 14 Episode 2 Bounty. Toothed whales, on the other hand, have conical teeth designed for catching fish or squid. Baleen whales have a well developed sense of. Some species, such as sperm whales, are well adapted for diving to great depths to catch squid and other favoured prey. Whales have evolved from land living mammals. As such they must breathe air regularly, though they can remain submerged for long periods. They have blowholes modified nostrils located on top of their heads, through which air is taken in and expelled. They are warm blooded, and have a layer of fat, or blubber, under the skin. With streamlined fusiform bodies and two limbs that are modified into flippers, whales can travel at up to 2. Whales produce a great variety of vocalizations, notably the extended songs of the humpback whale. Although whales are widespread, most species prefer the colder waters of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and migrate to the equator to give birth. Species such as humpbacks and blue whales are capable of travelling thousands of miles without feeding. Males typically mate with multiple females every year, but females only mate every two to three years. Calves are typically born in the spring and summer months and females bear all the responsibility for raising them. Mothers of some species fast and nurse their young for one to two years. Once relentlessly hunted for their products, whales are now protected by international law. The North Atlantic right whales nearly became extinct in the twentieth century, with a population low of 4. North Pacific grey whale population is ranked Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Besides whaling, they also face threats from bycatch and marine pollution. Lofoten Whale Watching Season' title='Lofoten Whale Watching Season' />Etymology and definitions. The word whale comes from the Old English whl, related to the High German wal. Related forms are the Old Norse hvalr and the Swedish. Norway is a complicated, beautiful, and a sought after country these days. This post describes thirty things you should know before moving to Norway. The meat, blubber and baleen of whales have traditionally been used by indigenous peoples of the Arctic. Whales have been depicted in various cultures worldwide, notably by the Inuit and the coastal peoples of Vietnam and Ghana, who sometimes hold whale funerals. Whales occasionally feature in literature and film, as in the great white whale of Herman Melvilles Moby Dick. Small whales, such as belugas, are sometimes kept in captivity and trained to perform tricks, but breeding success has been poor and the animals often die within a few months of capture. Whale watching has become a form of tourism around the world. Etymology and definitions. The word. Related forms are the Old Norsehvalr and the SwedishDanish hval. The obsolete. Other archaic English forms include wal, wale, whal, whalle, whaille, wheal, etc. The term. Six species of dolphins have the word. Each species has a different reason for it, for example, the killer whale was named. Whales do not form a clade or order the infraorder Cetacea includes dolphins and porpoises, which are not considered whales. Laurasiatheria. Feraecarnivores and alliesPerissodactylahorses, rhinos, tapirsArtiodactyla. Cetaceans are divided into two parvorders the largest parvorder, Mysticeti baleen whales, is characterized by the presence of baleen, a sieve like structure in the upper jaw made of keratin, which it uses to filter plankton, among others, from the water Odontocetes toothed whales are characterized by bearing sharp teeth for hunting, as opposed to their counterparts baleen. Cetaceans and artiodactyls now are classified under the order Cetartiodactyla, often still referred to as Artiodactyla, which includes both whales and hippopotamuses. The hippopotamus and pygmy hippopotamus are the whales closest terrestrial living relatives. Mysticetes. Mysticetes are also known as baleen whales. They have a pair of blowholes side by side and lack teeth, which renders them incapable of catching larger prey they instead have baleen plates which is a sieve like structure in the upper jaw made of keratin, which they use to filter plankton and other food from the water this forces them to follow krill or plankton migrations. Some whales, such as the humpback, reside in the polar regions where they feed on a reliable source of schooling fish and krill. These animals rely on their well developed flippers and tail fin to propel themselves through the water they swim by moving their fore flippers and tail fin up and down. Whale ribs loosely articulate with their thoracic vertebrae at the proximal end, but do not form a rigid rib cage. This adaptation allows the chest to compress during deep dives as the pressure increases. Mysticetes consist of four families rorquals balaenopterids, cetotheriids, right whales balaenids, and grey whales eschrichtiids. The main difference between each family of mysticete is in their feeding adaptations and subsequent behaviour. Balaenopterids are the rorquals. These animals, along with the cetotheriids, rely on their throat pleats to gulp large amounts of water while feeding. The throat pleats extend from the mouth to the navel and allow the mouth to expand to a large volume for more efficient capture of the small animals they feed on. Balaenopterids consist of two genera and eight species. Balaenids are the right whales. These animals have very large heads, which can make up as much as 4. This allows them to take in large amounts of water into their mouths, letting them feed more effectively. Eschrichtiids have one living member the grey whale. They are bottom feeders, mainly eating crustaceans and benthic invertebrates. They feed by turning on their sides and taking in water mixed with sediment, which is then expelled through the baleen, leaving their prey trapped inside. This is an efficient method of hunting, in which the whale has no major competitors. Watch Shrek 2 Online Freeform. Odontocetes. Odontocetes are known as toothed whales they have teeth and only one blowhole. They rely on their well developed sonar to find their way in the water. Toothed whales send out ultrasonic clicks using the melon. Sound waves travel through the water. Upon striking an object in the water, the sound waves bounce back at the whale. These vibrations are received through fatty tissues in the jaw, which is then rerouted into the ear bone and into the brain where the vibrations are interpreted. All toothed whales are opportunistic, meaning they will eat anything they can fit in their throat because they are unable to chew. These animals rely on their well developed flippers and tail fin to propel themselves through the water they swim by moving their fore flippers and tail fin up and down.