Toothed Whales

Baleen whales are known as a whalebone. They also live in the Southern Hemisphere. The meaning of “Baleen” is made out of keratin, the same protein that makes up our fingernails and hair. They make up one of two whale suborders within the cetacean family.

Killer whales are one of the most fascinating displays of ocean life. The killer whale has characteristics that are important to its survival in the ocean. It is interesting to know that killer whales have a plentiful diet. It is astounding to see how killer whales behave in the ocean. I plan to tell you about the killer whale, its characteristics, its diet, and its behavior in the ocean as well as the predation of the orca.

The origin of modern day whales, a mystery that has puzzled paleontologists for years, may have just been solved with the discovery of an ankle bone. This discovery might sound simple and unimportant, but the bones of these ancient animals hold many unanswered questions and provide solid proof of origin and behavior. The relationship between whales and other animals has proven to be difficult because whales are warm-blooded, like humans, yet they live in the sea. The fact that they are warm-blooded suggests that they are related to some type of land animal. However, the questions of exactly which animal, and how whales evolved from land to water, have remained unanswered until now.

“… building a tank the size of Rhode Island wouldn’t be large enough for a six-ton male killer whale such as Tilikum, an animal capable of swimming 100 miles a day,” states an anonymous whale expert. Whales have been in captivity since 1861 when P.T. Barnum displayed the first live whale that was captured in Canada. However, Barnum had no idea how to care for the mammal and it died after only a week in captivity. (Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2014) Being up close with killer whales could give us some clues about how they interact with each other, including physical behavior, their dialect, and how their pods work together as a family unit. However, what we are finding is that whales who belong in the wild are suffering in

Killer whales were not considered a threat to humans until one day in February 1991. Keltie Byrne, a marine biology and former killer whale trainer was killed by Tilikum. According to the reports, she slipped from the tank, where Tilikum was located, prevented her from surfacing and killed her. Sadly, another tragedy of a trainer who was killed by someone she knows

"Killer Whales: Gentle Giants, or Viscous Killers?" Killer whales are an important subject of mythology for many indigenous peoples, especially the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. The whales have not been hunted extensively by humans, although they have been hunted by some shore whaling operations, and some individuals have been taken as aquarium show animals from the waters around the Pacific Northwest and Iceland. Killer whales are perceived by many near-shore fishermen to be in competition with human fishing activity (Anheiser Busch 1). The killer whale, or Orcinus orca can be found worldwide in all seas from both tropics to Arctic and Antarctic oceans. They are one of the most well known whales because of the captivity of Shamu

The dwarf minke whale may be the whale we know the least about of all. These friendly creatures appear every winter for a few months on the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef. “We know everything there is to know about their habits except where they are the rest of the year and what they are doing while they are there” (Smathers 458). Perhaps because the adults are only about 25 feet long, they are not nearly as famous as blue whales or humpbacks. According to Robert Jones, dwarf minke researchers have a hard time getting donations to cover their expenses (33-35). Felicia Smart wonders if it would be different of they had songs like the humpbacks(volume

I do not agree that whales should be kept in captivity. It is not fair for whales. Even if it entertains us, they should not be forced to do what they don’t want to do, such as: do tricks. While we are being entertained, they are trapped in a tub, away from their family, and stuck there until finally released.

Not being able to communicate with one another can trigger aggression. In the wild, orcas have any amount of space, in any direction, to escape from harm, but that's not the case for these whales. When whales attack each other they use their teeth to rake. This leaves cuts, and sometimes whales will be covered with them from head to tail. In the wild, male orcas are kept at the perimeter of a pod, sense that isn't possible in captivity, males can be attacked viciously by the females. Also when a whale doesn't get fed because the other whale isn't doing what it is supposed to, both whales are punished and the whale that did nothing wrong catches onto this and becomes aggressive towards other whales. There has been times when whales have tried

Salty water all around us, there are wet seats and floor. The gigantic killer whale is causing all of this trouble. At Six Flags, we are seated on the wet chairs waiting for the show to begin. This is a family vacation, the weather is suppose to be warm, instead it is a hot sunny day, but at least we are near the water which makes things better. Whoosh! Whoosh! Gleaming water moves as the killer whale approach. Finally, show has begun, the killer whale swims around the vast clear tank. The killer whale’s trainer is holding the basket of tiny fish waiting for the killer whale to come . “The killer whale is name Shouka,” she said. I sit on the seat near the water with my family. After watching Shouka do some astonishing tricks, the big splash

The characteristic that we are focusing on are the teeth development in the Narwhals and Beluga whales. The growth of teeth in the two whales are different. “The Beluga whales have eight to ten

It is bad enough that most of the whales can not have a successful pregnancy, but what about when a mother whale actually has a successful birth with a healthy baby? One would think that because whales are supposed to stay in their pods their whole life that the parks would keep the two together, right? No, after about six months and the calves don't need the mother anymore, the two are separated. This is extremely stressful and sad for both of the whales. Babies are sold for money and taken to other parks or transferred because they disrupt a routine in a show. When the two are separated it has been shown that both call for each other for a long time. The calls are long and loud, heartbreaking if you must. After the separation, the mother

The phylum of Orca Whales are Chordata. The subphylum is vertebrata. Animals of the Chordata family have four key features: notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, and post-anal tail. Notochords are a flexible rod-shaped structure that is found in the embryonic stage of development along in the adult stage of some chordate species. This feature is located within the digestive tube and the nerve cord; it provides skeletal support through the length of the body. The dorsal hollow nerve cord comes from the ectoderm that rolls into a hollow tube during the development stage. The ectoderm is an outer layer of three tissues within the embryo that produces the epidermis and nervous system. This feature is usually located dorsally near

The biggest fish, the whale shark, is sustained by plankton. Bait fish also feed on plankton in different parts of the ocean. When the whale shark arrives, the tiny fish swarm around it to use as a shield because other fish are also looking for prey. When whale shark dives down, it gives tuna a chance to catch the tiny fish. Then, the whale shark comes back up and gulps a mouthful of the baitfish instead of plankton. The whale shark and tuna now eat the smaller fish together but tuna must be careful not to get eaten by whale shark. The baitfish benefit from being protected from the tuna by the whale shark but end up being eaten by the whale shark. The whale shark helps the tuna get food at their own risk. The whale shark and tuna work

It is one of six species of porpoise and belongs to the group Cetacea, which includes all species of whales, dolphins and porpoises that are split two subgroups, the toothed whale and baleen whale mainly based on the difference between feeding styles.