Whales

Whales

Introduction Whales are very large. In fact, they are the largest animals on Earth. And they are probably the largest animal that ever lived on Earth. They are bigger than any known dinosaur. Even elephants are small when compared to whales. A large blue whale can be over 33 meters (100 ft) long. It can weigh nearly as much as 20 school buses. Its heart is as big as a small car. A large elephant, in comparison, is 4. 3 meters (13 ft) tall and weighs less than one school bus. Some whales are fairly small. These smaller whales are 1. 2 to 1. 8 meters (4 to 6 ft) long. Dolphins are an example of a smaller whale.

Types of Whales There are about 75 kinds of whales. Most whales fall into one of two groups. One group has teeth. They are called toothed whales. The other group does not have teeth. They are called baleen whales.

Toothed whales, which include dolphins and porpoises, have jaws lined with sharp teeth. They eat fish, squid, and other sea life. Larger toothed whales even eat seals. The killer whale, or orca, is a well-known toothed whale. Orcas are called killer whales because they are very good at hunting other animals.

One of the strangest whales is the narwhal. It is a toothed whale. The male narwhal has a large tusk growing straight out of the front of its head. The tusk can be up to eight feet long.

Baleen whales have a special material, called baleen, that hangs from their upper jaw. Baleen looks a little like a giant feather or comb. It filters small fish and very small sea life from the ocean. It seems strange that such large creatures eat such tiny food.