Vocab
What is blubber?
the fat of whales
What is the biggest creature on Earth?
Blue Whale
Name and describe the Right Whale’s most distinguishing characteristic. And, what is the biggest of the toothed whales called?
Right Whale's mouth is like an “upside down U”
The biggest of all the toothed whales is the sperm whale.
What is whaling?
People hunting whales
Name 3 TYPES of animals that are cetaceans.
Whales, dolphins, porpoises
What is a fluke
A cetacean's tail
What are baleen?
It is found in the jaws of large whales and used to sieve prey...filter feeding system.
Explain the difference between a baleen whale and a toothed whale?
Toothed Whales are smaller and have teeth to capture their prey (swallow not chew), baleen whales are bigger and use baleen to filter out their food.
What is the most important sense for a whale? How does it help them?
Hearing. They can communicate with their pod and warn them of danger.
What is a beached whale?
A whale that gets stuck on the beach.
What is a blowhole?
The "nose" of a cetaceans from which they breathe
The narwhal's horn is called a ________.
a tusk
What are Humpback Whales best known for? And, why did Gray Whales earn the name devilfish?
Humpbacks are best known for the songs that the males sing.
Gray Whales were referred to as “devilfish” by whalers who watched them charge and smash boats to defend themselves and their calves.
Describe one way that a dolphin uses its intelligence in hunting.
Dolphins can communicate and teach each other how to hunt more effectively using traps
How does echolocation work?
ECHOLOCATION IS SOUND WAVES SENT THROUGH THE WATER (FROM THE MELON). THE WAVES BOUNCE OFF WHATEVER IS IN THE WATER AND IT TELLS THE WHALE THE SIZE, SHAPE, AND DISTANCE ETC. IT IS USED FOR FINDING FOOD, STAYING AWAY FROM PREDATORS, DISTANCE FROM THE SEA FLOOR, AND FINDING OTHER WHALES
What does it mean to molt?
Shedding the outer layer of the skin
Name two ways a fluke is useful to a whale?
It can push it forward to swim and it can steer the whale.
What is another name for a killer whale? And list three distinguishing features of a beluga whale.
A killer whale is also known as an Orca.
A beluga whales are fat white whales that don’t have a beak or a dorsal fin.
What are two purposes for cetaceans migrating?
Colder water for feeding and warmer water for birthing.
Name and describe 2 interesting whale moves
BREACHING: WHEN A WHALE LEAPS UP INTO THE AIR AND LANDS ON ITS BACK. SPYHOPPING: WHEN A WHALE STICKS ITS HEAD STRAIGHT UP OUT OF THE WATER AND SPINS.LOGGING: WHEN A WHALE SWIMS TO THE SURFACE AND LAYS THERE AS IF SLEEPING. LOBTAILING: WHEN A WHALE LIFTS JUST ITS TAIL OUT OF THE WATER AND BRINGS IT BACK DOWN
What is a melon?
big rounded forehead used for echolocation
Why must a whale come up to the surface to breathe?
Whales breathe air with their lungs instead of using gills like fish.
Name 5 difference between whales and fish.
Whales are classifies as mammals, fish are fish. Whales breathe with lungs, fish with gills. Whales are warm blooded, fish are cold. Whales have live births, fish lay eggs. Whale have some hair, fish have scales. Whale tails move up and down, fish side to side. Whales care for their young, fish do not. Whales nurse their young, fish do not.
Name two things whales were hunted for in the days of whaling, and what were they used for.
They were hunted for the their blubber and goop inside some organs. It was used for oil and perfumes. Also, Baleen were used for women's corsets.
Name two ways cetaceans communicate.
Echolocation and singing songs
Lobtailing their flukes