Facts about Whales
Whales are mammals that belong to the order Cetacea that includes dolphins and porpoises as well. Each of these categories has many subspecies. They live in all of the world’s oceans. There are 86 different species that are currently recognized. There are two suborders which are baleen and toothed whales. The age of a whale can be determined by counting the rings in its earwax. They can suffer from sunburns. They have a blowhole on the top of their head for breathing purposes. They need to come to the surface every time they need to breathe.
Quick Facts: –
- The blue whale is the largest animal ever to have lived on the earth.
- Sperm whales are one of the deepest divers. They can stay underwater for more than two hours.
- They are also the loudest whales as they have been recorded making sounds at 230 decibels.
- The bowhead whale has the thickest blubber and longest baleen of all the whale species.
- They are also the longest living ones. They can live for more than 200 years.
- The gestation period of whales can range anywhere from 9 to 15 months, depending on the species.
- They generally give birth to one calf at a time.
- Whales make a variety of sounds. Some species can even imitate human speech.
- Beluga whales make chirping sounds like little birds. This is the reason why they are known as the canaries of the sea.
- Humpback whales make the longest migration as they feed in the Antarctic water and breed off the coast of Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica.
- They rest only half of their brains while sleeping.
