Hunters
How long ago and where did people begin hunting whales?
About 5,000 years ago, Greenland, Japan, etc.
Bottlenose dolphins belong to this family
Delphinidae
What are whale falls and what is their significance?
When a whale carcass sinks to the bottom the ocean and an entire ecosystem begins in that locastion
The Ganges river dolphin is in this group
Platanistidae
Odontoceti means what?
Toothed whale
What was the main place for the whaling industry in the 19th century?
Nantuckett, Massachusetts
Narwhals belong to this family
Monodontidae
What is the important ecological role of baleen whales
They constantly remove carbon from the ocean surface and send it to the bottom of the ocean. A single blue whale can consume 6,000 pounds of Krill in one day.
The pygmy sperm whales are in this group
Kogiidae
What is one of the main foods of baleen whales
Krill
What did whalers do when the number of whales decreased drastically in the North Atlantic?
They began hunting whales in the Pacific and Indian Oceans
What is the baiji and waht family is it in?
The extinct river dolphin from China, family lipotidae
What important ecological role do Orcas perform
They prevent the overpopulation of prey species and prevent overgrazing of critical habitats.
The largest group of baleen whales is called what?
Rorquals
Mysteceti means what?
Baleen whale
What major advancement happened in whale hunting that increased the catch drastically
The invention of harpoon guns and motorized ships.
What family is a right whale, and how did it get its name?
They were called right whales by fishermen because they were slow moving, and the ¨right¨ ones to pursue. They are balaenopteridae that possess baleen.
Why do some indigenous tribes still kill whales?
It is legal in some places like Alaska, Faroe, islands. The meat from one whale can last an entire year or longer.
The ancestor of all cetaceans was what?
Pakicetus- a wolf like animal.
What is the reproductive strategy of whales
K strategy
What was the main product that was sold from whales
Whale oil used for lamps and machinery.
What are the beaked whales?
Ziphiidae. They are the least known mammal group in the world.
The finless porpoise belongs to this group
Phocoenidae
When did whales first evolve, and how long did the process take?
ABout 50 million years ago, it took about 8 million years for them to be fully aquatic.
What is a major ecological role sperm whales play?
They bring nutrients from the deep sea to the surface