What type of animal are whales? What does a whale eat? Is the whale warm-blooded or not?

Humanity began to ask the question of who a whale is, a fish or an animal, long before the formation of modern natural sciences. As the largest of all creatures living under water, this giant simply could not help but delight everyone who had the chance to see it.

Is a whale a fish or an animal?

Of course, today, thanks to modern knowledge about the structure of cetaceans and their origin, it is no longer difficult to give an exact answer to this question that has tormented man for so long. So, who exactly is he? This is a mammal whose ancestors once upon a time, for certain reasons, returned from land to water. What forced them to do this - whether it was competition from other animal species, or a sharp decrease in food in their habitat - is not known for certain. However, in the end, they found a new home for themselves there and, having successfully adapted, over time evolved into the form under which we know these creatures today.

Of the land animals currently living on the planet, the closest relatives of cetaceans are hippos, which are indeed similar to them in many respects in behavior and mutual love for water.

Cetaceans - general facts

In their family, whales are its only representatives. However, the same dolphins and porpoises also belong to marine mammals. What makes it possible to distinguish whales into a separate family? The main differences are as follows:

• Unlike fish, warm-blooded cetaceans. Therefore, to maintain core body temperature, they need a very thick subcutaneous fat layer.
• Second feature lies in the inability of whales to obtain oxygen directly from the water. To replenish its supply, they need to periodically rise to the surface.
• All cetacean mammals. And although the process of feeding babies with milk has undergone changes during evolution, its essence has remained the same.

The cetacean family is divided into three groups:

The whale is the largest living mammal. Its adult specimen can easily reach 25 meters in length. It weighs on average from 90 to 110 tons. These animals inhabit almost all the oceans of the Earth, however, due to their warm-blooded nature, they are prone to frequent migrations. They prefer to wait out cold winters closer to the tropics.

Based on skin color, whales are divided into blue and gray. The gray ones are presumably more ancient. Judging by some of the remains of these animals, their representatives inhabited the planet about 30 million years ago. Then they were distributed almost throughout the globe; Nowadays, gray whales are mostly seen in the North Pacific Ocean. They prefer to live in small groups of several individuals. There are also solitary whales, but this is rather an exception. Whales have incredibly strong family ties and communication with other members of their species is very important to them.

Blue whales are larger in size than gray whales, as well as any other mammal on the planet. With their size, they are a living reminder of those giants who once inhabited the land. They are not very fond of people, preferring to stay away from the coast and remaining mostly in the open ocean. As befits such a giant, the blue whale is quite slow. The average speed of its movement is about 10 km/h, however, if the animal is threatened, it can increase three times.

The number of animals has reached critically low levels many times. Often the reason for this was a person who mercilessly exterminated them for their valuable meat and fat. But the very specifics of cetacean reproduction do not contribute to the rapid restoration of population numbers. Offspring, as a rule, are born no more than once or twice a year. In this case, the female gives birth to only one kitten; sometimes it happens that there are two. The duration of pregnancy can vary from 9 to 18 months depending on the subspecies.

Naturally, with such vulnerability, the female protects the cub like the apple of her eye. The cubs also grow very quickly - after just six months they can already reach 14 meters in length and weigh up to 25 tons. Puberty in whales occurs when they reach the age of five, but a whale is considered truly adult only at 15 years of age.

What does a whale eat?

So what do whales eat? Their diet is highly specialized and depends entirely on the species. They can be planktivores and eat plankton, teutophages and eat shellfish, ichthyophages (use fish as a food source) and sacrophages (eat algae). Animals swallow their prey whole, without preliminary chewing. Toothed whales either grab it and hold it with their teeth, or use their tongue to suck in several fish at a time. Baleen whales pass large portions of food through a filter called "baleen". The only representative of cetaceans that regularly feeds on warm-blooded animals is the killer whale.

A whale is a sea monster. In the literal sense of the word. After all, this is exactly how the Greek word is translated, from which the name of this amazing animal comes - κῆτος. A lot can be said about marine inhabitants belonging to the order Cetaceans. But it’s worth dwelling on the most interesting facts.

Name

The first step is to answer the question that worries many. And it sounds like this: “Is a whale a fish or a mammal?” The second of the proposed options is correct.

The whale is a large marine mammal that is not related to porpoises or dolphins. Although they are included in the order Cetacea (cetaceans). In general, the situation with names is very interesting. Pilot whales and killer whales, for example, are considered whales. Although, in accordance with the strict official classification, they are dolphins, which few people know.

And it is better to trust a strict classification, since in the old days leviathans were called whales - sea monsters with many heads that could devour the planet. In a word, the name has an interesting story.

Origin

Well, the question “Is a whale a fish or a mammal?” was answered above. Now we can talk about the types of these creatures.

To begin with, it is worth noting that all whales are descendants of land mammals. Moreover, those who belonged to the orders of artiodactyls! This is not fiction, but a scientifically proven fact that was established after molecular genetic examinations. There is even a monophyletic group (clade) that includes whales, hippopotamuses and all artiodactyls. All of them are cetaceans. According to research, whales and hippos descended from the same creature that lived on our planet about 54 million years ago.

Units

So, now - about the types of whales. Or rather, about suborders. The first species is baleen whales. They are the largest of modern mammals. Their physiological feature is a mustache with a filter-like structure.

The second species is toothed whales. Carnivorous, fast creatures. They are superior to toothless whales. Only the sperm whale can compare in size with them. And their feature, as you might have guessed, is the presence of teeth.

And the third species is ancient whales. Those that no longer exist. They belong to a paraphyletic group of animals from which modern species of whales later evolved.

Anatomical features

Now it’s worth considering the description of the whale from a physiological point of view. This animal is a mammal, and it is warm-blooded. Accordingly, each whale breathes with the help of its lungs, and the females feed their calves with milk. And these creatures have hair, albeit reduced.

Because these mammals are exposed to the sun, their skin has protection from ultraviolet rays. True, it is expressed differently in each species. A blue whale, for example, can increase the content of special pigments in its skin that absorb radiation (in simple terms, it “tans”). The sperm whale protects itself from oxygen radicals by triggering a “stress response.” The fin whale practices both methods.

By the way, these creatures maintain their warm-bloodedness due to the presence of a thick fatty layer under the skin. It is this that protects the internal organs of marine animals from hypothermia.

Oxygen absorption process

It is also interesting to talk about how whales breathe. These mammals can stay under water for a minimum of 2 minutes and a maximum of 40. However, there is a record holder, and it is the sperm whale, which is able to stay under water for 1.5 hours.

The external nostrils of these creatures are located at the top of the head. They have special valves that reflexively close the airways when the whale dives into the water. At the moment of surfacing, they open. It is important to know that the airway does not connect to the esophagus. So the whale absorbs air safely, without harm to itself. Even if there is water in his mouth. And by the way, speaking about how whales breathe, it is worth noting that they do it quickly. Speed ​​is facilitated by shortened bronchi and trachea. By the way, their lungs are very powerful. In one breath, the whale renews its air by 90%. And people are only 15%.

It is worth noting that at the moment of surfacing, a column of condensed steam emerges through the nostrils (also called the blowhole). The same fountain that is the calling card of whales. This occurs due to the fact that the whale exhales warm air, which comes into contact with the outside (cold) air. So the fountain is the result of temperature effects. The column of steam varies in height and shape among different whales. The most impressive are the “fountains” of large mammals. They come out of their blowhole with such enormous power that the process is accompanied by a loud trumpet sound. In good weather it can be heard from the shore.

Food

It’s worth saying a few words about what whales eat. The diet of animals is varied. Toothed whales, for example, eat fish, cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish) and in some cases mammals.

Whiskered representatives feed on plankton. They absorb a huge volume of crustaceans, filtering it from the water or using their baleen. These animals can also eat small fish.

The most interesting thing is that in winter whales hardly eat. And for this reason, in the summer they continuously consume food. This approach helps them accumulate a thick layer of fat.

By the way, they need a lot of food. Large whales consume about three tons of food per day.

Bright representative

The blue whale deserves special attention. This is the largest animal that has ever existed on our planet. It reaches 33 meters in length and weighs about 150 tons.

By the way, the blue whale is a representative of the baleen suborder. Feeds on plankton. It has a well-developed filtering apparatus, due to which it filters the absorbed mass inside.

There are three subspecies of this animal. There is a dwarf, southern and northern whale. The last two live in cold circumpolar waters. The dwarf is found in tropical seas.

It is believed that blue whales live for about 110 years. In any case, that was the size of the oldest individual people had ever encountered.

Unfortunately, the blue whale is not a very common marine creature. In the 20th century, uncontrolled hunting began for these animals. By the middle of the last century, only 5 thousand individuals remained throughout the world. People did a terrible thing by exterminating them. Emergency security measures were taken. At the moment, the number of individuals has doubled, but blue whales are still at risk.

Belukha

This is a representative of the toothed whales of the narwhal family. The beluga whale is not very large. Its weight reaches only 2 tons, and its length is 6 meters. Beluga whales have excellent hearing, acute perception of any sounds, and the ability to echolocation. In addition, these are social creatures - there are known cases in which these whales saved a person. They get along well in aquariums, over time they get used to people, and even become attached to workers.

Their diet is varied. Beluga whales eat cod, flounder, herring, clams, algae, shrimp, lamprey, rib jellyfish, pink salmon, gobies, blennies, crayfish and many other sea creatures that are suitable for food.

These creatures, like many others, also suffered due to human cruelty. Whalers easily drove them onto the shallows, and the belugas literally crashed. But at the moment this species is gradually restoring its numbers. Let's just hope people don't ruin anything.

There are dozens of other representatives of cetaceans, and all are special and interesting in their own way. And we hope that every species that we know of will survive. The marine world should not lose any of them, as each of them is a true wonder and natural treasure.

WHALES
(Cetacea)
an order of exclusively aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. The streamlined, often torpedo-shaped body gives them an external resemblance to fish. However, cetaceans are warm-blooded, breathe atmospheric air, bear a fetus in the uterus, give birth to a fully developed calf capable of independent existence, which the mother feeds with milk, and the remains of hair are visible on their body. According to these and some other characteristics, they are similar to other mammals, and the general plan of their structure also indicates that they belong to this class of animals. The body of cetaceans, round in cross-section, tapers towards the end and ends with a pair of wide caudal fins, flattened in the horizontal plane. These fins, although devoid of a bony skeleton (there is cartilaginous supporting tissue inside them), serve as the main organ that ensures the animal’s forward movement. The pectoral fins, or flippers, correspond to the forelimbs of land mammals; their carpal parts are not dissected externally, and sometimes are fused internally, forming spade-shaped structures. They serve as stabilizers, “depth rudders,” and also provide turning and braking. There are no hind limbs, although rudiments of pelvic bones have been found in some species. The neck is very short, since the seven cervical vertebrae common to mammals are greatly shortened and fused into one or several plates, the total length of which does not exceed 15 cm. The body of cetaceans is covered with smooth shiny skin, which facilitates gliding in water. Under the skin there is a layer of adipose tissue (blubum) ranging from 2.5 to 30 cm thick. Fat protects the body from hypothermia and helps retain water in the body that would otherwise diffuse into the environment; body temperature is maintained at approximately 35° C. Animals do not need fur, since the fat provides sufficient thermal insulation, however, in the embryonic stages and in adults, sparse hair can be found on the snout. The head is very large and wide. The neck is so shortened that outwardly the boundary between the head and the body is not noticeable. There are no external ears, but there is an auditory canal, which opens through a small hole in the skin and leads to the eardrum. The eyes are very small, adapted to life in the sea. They are able to withstand high pressure when the animal is immersed to great depths; large, fatty tears are released from the tear ducts, which help to see more clearly in the water and protect the eyes from the effects of salt. Nostrils - one (in toothed whales) or two (in baleen whales) - are located in the upper part of the head and form the so-called. blowhole. In cetaceans, unlike other mammals, the lungs are not connected to the oral cavity. The animal inhales air, rising to the surface of the water. Its blood is capable of absorbing more oxygen than that of land mammals. Before diving into the water, the lungs are filled with air, which, while the whale remains under water, is heated and saturated with moisture. When the animal floats to the surface, the air it exhales forcefully, in contact with the cold outside, forms a column of condensed steam - the so-called. fountain. Thus, whale fountains are not columns of water at all. In different species they are not the same in shape and height; for example, the fountain at the top of the southern right whale bifurcates. The exhaled air is forced through the blowhole under such strong pressure that it produces a loud trumpeting sound, which in calm weather can be heard from a great distance. The blowhole is equipped with valves that close tightly when the animal is immersed in water and open when it ascends to the surface. The cetacean order is divided into two suborders: toothed whales (Odontoceti) and baleen whales (Mysticeti). The former are considered less specialized; These include, in particular, beaked whales, sperm whales, killer whales, as well as smaller forms - dolphins and porpoises. Sperm whales reach a length of 18 m and weigh 60 tons; the length of their lower jaw reaches 5-6 m. The teeth of baleen whales are replaced by long fringed horny plates (whalebone), hanging from the upper jaw and forming a filter for filtering small crustaceans and fish from the water. This suborder includes minke whales, as well as blue, humpback, dwarf, smooth, bowhead and other whales. Some blue whales reach a length of 30 m. This animal is larger than even giant dinosaurs. It can weigh as much as 150 bulls or 25 elephants. Fossils of primitive whales, zeuglodonts ("jugular-toothed"), have been found in marine sediments of Africa, Europe, New Zealand, Antarctica and North America. Some of them were giants more than 20 m long. A whale can reach enormous sizes, since its limbs do not have to support the weight of its body: in water it is as if weightless. A large whale swimming at a speed of 20 knots (37 km/h) “generates” 520 hp of energy. With. Whales swallow food whole and consume up to a ton of food per day. The sperm whale's pharynx is very wide, so that it can easily swallow a person, but in baleen whales it is much narrower and only allows small fish to pass through. The sperm whale feeds mainly on squid and often feeds at depths of more than 1.5 km, where pressure exceeds 100 kg/cm2. The killer whale is the only representative of the order that regularly eats not only fish and invertebrates, but also warm-blooded animals - birds, seals and whales. Cetaceans have a very long intestine and a complex multi-chamber stomach, consisting, for example, of 14 sections in beaked whales, and 4 in right whales. The female gives birth to one calf under water. It comes out of her body tail first. The cub is fully developed and is almost immediately able to follow the herd. It suckles for approximately 6 months and grows rapidly, reaching sexual maturity by age three, although increasing in size continues until age 12. Most large whales breed once every two years. Despite their enormous size, these animals are not very durable. Science knows very few specimens of right whales older than 20 years. Herds of whales can commit something akin to mass suicide. Sometimes a hundred or more of their individuals wash ashore at the same time. Even if the suffocating animals are towed back to sea, they return to land. The reasons for this behavior have not yet been determined. Whales provide humans with many useful products. People have been hunting them since ancient times, and whaling existed before the 10th century. In addition to meat, whale oil (blub), which is used to make soap and cosmetic creams, is of great value. Ambergris is extracted from the intestines of sperm whales; this grayish substance is secreted there as a result of irritation of the mucous membrane caused by the horny jaws of swallowed squids. Pieces of ambergris weigh up to 13 kg, and the mass of its largest “nugget” is 122 kg. It contains sodium chloride, calcium phosphate, alkaloids, acids and the so-called ambrine; this substance is lighter than fresh and salt water, softens in the hands, melts at temperatures below 100°, and evaporates when heated more strongly. Ambergris was once highly valued as a perfume fixative. Currently, whaling is almost universally prohibited, since as a result of unsustainable mining, the whale population has greatly decreased and some of their species are on the verge of extinction. International agreements allow the capture and slaughter of individual specimens for scientific research. In addition, some peoples, such as the Eskimos, for whom whale hunting is one of the most important traditional activities, are allowed to continue it on a limited scale.
baleen whales
Baleen whales (suborder Mysticeti) got their name because of the long horny plates of the so-called. whalebone, located in their mouth instead of teeth. They hang from the upper to the lower jaw on both sides of the oral cavity perpendicular to the axis of the body. Each plate is a thin strip of approximately triangular shape, smooth on both sides. The outer edge is smooth, and the inner and lower edges are fringed with long bristles, forming a filter for straining small animals from sea water. Whalebone does not dissolve in water or natural acids and is never discarded. It consists of a strong and elastic substance, keratin, which forms the nails, claws and horns of land vertebrates. Not all baleen whales are giants, but they are all large animals, several meters long. However, the throat of any of their species is no wider than our fist. The largest baleen whales feed primarily on planktonic crustaceans, while some of the smaller members of the suborder feed primarily on schooling fish. All species have two nostrils, brought together into a blowhole, which is always moved far back, which allows the animal to breathe by only slightly raising the top of its head out of the water. When a whale opens its mouth to capture food, water does not enter its lungs, since the nasal passage leads directly to the trachea and is not connected to the pharynx. In the past, whalebone was highly prized; in the late 1800s, its price reached $7 per pound (453 g), and some animals could produce almost 1.5 tons of this product. It was used to stiffen bustles, bodices, collars and crinolines. After steel frames began to be used for all this, the trade in whalebone fell into decline. The suborder is divided into three families: gray whales, minke whales and smooth whales.
Gray whales (Eschrichtiidae). There is only one species in this family - the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) - a slate-gray animal up to 15 m long, whose range is limited to the coastal waters of the North Pacific Ocean. The head is relatively small, there is a small hump on the back instead of a fin, and there are 2-4 longitudinal grooves on the throat. Whalebone is yellowish in color, its plates are quite thick, 35-45 cm long. The body is often covered with rounded white spots - traces of sea acorns and other skin fouling.
The gray whale spends the summer in the coastal waters of the Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean, and in the winter migrates south, reaching Mexico, Japan and Korea. It stays in shallow places, so that sometimes the water barely covers its back. It feeds on planktonic crustaceans, which abound in the northern seas in the summer months. Before releasing a fountain 3-3.5 m high, the animal makes trumpet sounds for 8-10 minutes. As with all baleen whales, the female is larger than the male. Both parents are very attached to their young, which are born in January. The newborn reaches a length of 4.5-5.5 m. He suckles his mother for 6-8 months, growing during this time to 7.5 m. Parents zealously protect their offspring and, sensing danger, can attack a boat and even a swimmer.
Minke whales (Balaenopteridae).
Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), also called the herring whale, is a large animal with a wedge-shaped head, a long slender body and a high dorsal fin moved far back; on its throat there are from 40 to 120 deep longitudinal folds. The body is grayish-brown above and white below. The length of the whalebone plate reaches 90 cm, and the entire body - 25 m. One fin whale, 23 m long, weighed 60,000 kg, of which approx. 8500 kg were bones, 475 kg were baleen, 1200 kg were tongue and 2700 kg were head and lower jaw. The species is distributed in all oceans and migrates in herds ranging from a few to more than 100 individuals. Migrations are seasonal: the fin whale spends the summer in the Arctic and Antarctic, and the winter in warmer seas. It feeds mainly on planktonic crustaceans, less often on schooling fish, such as herring. The fin whale does not have a specific breeding season. A 6 m long calf is born 10-15 months after conception; the mother feeds him for 6 months or longer. Life expectancy is 20-25 years. Sei whale, or saydian (willow) whale (Balaenoptera borealis), is similar in general features to the fin whale, but does not exceed 18 m in length. It migrates across the oceans, feeding on plankton and throwing conical fountains 2-2.5 m high into the air. The name “sei whale” was given to the species by Norwegian fishermen, since it usually appears in their waters simultaneously with pollock (seje). A close relative of the sei whale, the Bryde's minke whale, which is almost indistinguishable from it, lives in tropical seas. Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)- the smallest of the minke whales, i.e. whales with folds on the throat. Its color is blue-gray above and white below; A distinctive feature is a wide white stripe crossing the pectoral fins. Length up to 10 m; There are approximately 60 furrow-folds stretching from the chin to the chest. Whalebone is yellowish-white. Distributed more or less everywhere; often enters bays and bays. Humpback whale or humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), - a large animal with a dense, shortened body; the back and sides are blackish, and the color of the belly varies from black or mottled to white. The maximum length is approximately 15 m. An individual 14 m long can weigh over 40,000 kg and produce approx. 4000 liters of fat; the weight of the heart alone is approx. 200 kg. The length of the pectoral fins is more than a quarter, sometimes almost a third of the total body length, which is reflected in the generic name - Megaptera, i.e. "big fin" Their edges are uneven and lumpy. The flattened head ends in a snout rounded at the end, bordered by uneven rows of “warts” with a hair on each of them. The posterior edges of the caudal fin are also scalloped. There are fewer folds on the throat than the fin whale, and the distances between them are wider. The whalebone plates are blackish, up to 1 m long; there are ok. 400 on each side. Humpback whales can be found in all oceans. Its herds migrate with the changing seasons and depending on the amount of food, spending the winter in tropical waters. It feeds on planktonic crustaceans and small fish. Pregnancy lasts 11 months; The calf's body length at birth is 4.5 m, and its weight is approx. 1400 kg. Humpback whales often jump completely out of the water in a vertical position and fall back with a deafening splash, either while playing or trying to throw off barnacles. And sometimes they seem to “stand on their heads,” desperately beating the water with their huge caudal fins. However, this species is especially famous for the extensive repertoire of sounds it makes; Even recordings of his “songs” are sold. The whalers nicknamed him “Humpback” for the way he arches his back while “singing.”

Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)- the largest of all animals that ever existed on Earth. The female is always larger than the male and reaches a length of 30 m with a mass of more than 100 tons. The color is not blue, but rather bluish-gray with silver-gray spots of irregular shape. The belly is sometimes yellowish due to microscopic diatoms clinging to it. The small dorsal fin is strongly moved back; numerous throat grooves extend far into the belly. On each side of the mouth there are approximately 365 blue-black baleen plates up to 1 m long. The blue whale spends its summer near the pack ice in the polar regions of both hemispheres. It usually sails at a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h), and if necessary, twice as fast. Before a deep dive, the animal raises its huge tail fins into the air; it can remain underwater for up to 20 minutes. The height of the fountain reaches 6 m. The blue whale feeds on planktonic crustaceans, absorbing up to a ton of food for each “meal”. The baby is born 10-11 months after conception; The body length of a newborn reaches 7.5 m, and the weight is approx. 4 tons. The mother feeds him for 6-7 months. Blue whales reach sexual maturity in the tenth year of life.

Russian fairy tales sometimes talk about the “miracle-yudo-fish-whale”. This expression, of course, can only be found in fairy tales, because a whale is not a fish at all: it breathes not with gills, but with lungs. And although he can stay under water for a long time, he still needs to rise to the surface to breathe fresh air. Whales are mammals, they give birth to live babies and feed them with milk, which is 10 times more nutritious than cow's milk. Not surprisingly, baby whales grow very quickly.

Scientists divide the entire large family of whales into two groups: baleen and toothed whales. The largest of the toothed animals is the sperm whale. It reaches 19 m in length. His favorite food is . For them, he dives to a depth of 300, 500 and even 1000 m and can stay under water for an hour or two. He has big lungs. In addition, his right nostril became overgrown and turned into a huge air sac.

Sperm whales are found in our Far Eastern seas. And in the northern ones there are other toothed whales - beluga whales. When herds of beluga whales appear off the coast, you can hear their incomparable roar. The northern seas are also home to the narwhal, also a toothed whale. True, his teeth are underdeveloped, but one of the incisors has turned into a tusk, a formidable weapon 3 m long. Narwhals and beluga whales have much in common with, and they all feed on fish.

But the killer whale is not interested in fish. These relatively small animals (5-7 m) attack seals and fur seals and tear the prey into pieces with sharp cone-shaped teeth. Killer whales dare to attack their mustachioed relatives, trying to snatch the soft, fat tongue from defenseless animals. Giants escape from killer whales by swimming in panic into river mouths and throwing themselves into shallow water.

Baleen whales include: minke whales - with longitudinal folds on the belly; gray whales - with two or three folds on the neck; right whales; bowhead whales. And finally, the largest of the Earth's animals - blue whales - up to 33 m in length and weighing 150 tons. Their baby whale, just born, reaches 5-7 m in length and drinks 100 liters of milk in one feeding.

The mouth of baleen whales is huge. It seems that anyone will be swallowed. But in fact, they have to limit themselves to small-sized prey: their esophagus is very narrow.

They would have had a bad time if not for the “mustaches,” which consist of two rows of horny plates hanging from the upper jaw. Through them, the whale filters the water, filtering out tiny crustaceans from it. A whale's stomach can hold 2-3 tons of food. A whale needs a billion crustaceans just for breakfast or lunch. In short, he has to work a lot to get enough. Whales swim in large herds. Herds of beluga whales sometimes reach several thousand heads.

Whales are very peculiar mammals, which, due to their constant life in water, are more like fish. This group of animals has a characteristic appearance and at the same time has achieved significant diversity. Whales form a separate order of Cetaceans, but this term is a collective one. Usually this word refers to large species; small cetaceans have other names (dolphins, porpoises).

Humpback whale, or humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).

The most striking distinguishing feature of these animals is their size. Indeed, all species of whales are simply giants of the animal world. Even the smallest species (dwarf sperm whales, for example) reach a length of 2-3 m and a weight of 400 kg, and most species have a length of 5-12 m and a weight of several tons. The largest species, the blue whale, reaches a length of 33 m and weighs 150 tons! It is several times larger than even the largest dinosaurs. The blue whale is the largest living creature ever to inhabit our planet!

All species of whales are characterized by an elongated, streamlined body, a very short, inactive neck and a large head. The size of the head can vary greatly between species: in small whales it is 1/5 of the body length, in large baleen whales its size can reach 1/4, and in the sperm whale the head makes up 1/3 of the body. Based on the structure of their teeth, whales are divided into two suborders: baleen and toothed. Baleen whales have no teeth at all; they are replaced by giant horny plates that hang in the mouth like a fringe. They are called whalebone.

Baleen in the mouth of a whale.

Toothed whales have teeth, their shape and size vary between species. The structure of the jaws can also be different: in baleen whales the lower jaw is much larger than the upper and is similar to a ladle; in toothed whales, on the contrary, the upper jaw is larger or equal in size to the lower one. Such differences are associated with the nature of the diet of these animals.

The difference in size of the upper and lower jaws is clearly visible on the head of a humpback whale.

The brain size of whales is relatively large, but this is primarily due to the development of the parts of the brain responsible for hearing. Whales, like dolphins, have perfect echolocation abilities; they emit sounds of various frequencies and use their reflection (echo) to navigate in space, find food and communicate with each other. Just like dolphins, whales are susceptible to an unknown pathology - they can periodically wash ashore. The animals do this unconsciously (the ability of whales to commit suicide is nothing more than a stupid prejudice), but with such persistence that scientists are still puzzling over the reason for such strange behavior. Animals washed ashore are not always old or sick; moreover, sometimes, through the efforts of rescuers, they can be returned to the sea. Most likely, the root cause of such death is disruptions in the operation of the echo sounder caused by numerous radio sources (all modern navigation uses powerful sources and repeaters of radio waves). Such electromagnetic “noise” in the ocean confuses the giants and they approach the shores; moreover, accustomed to trusting their feelings, the whales stubbornly strive in the “right” direction until they run aground. Other sense organs in whales are poorly developed: the sense of smell is in its infancy, and vision is also rather weak.

On the top of the head there is a breathing hole - a blowhole. In more primitive baleen whales it consists of two openings (“nostrils”), in toothed whales there is only one opening. Interestingly, during exhalation, moist air from the lungs creates a kind of fountain, and its shape depends on the type of whale.

A blowhole with two nostrils on the head of a gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus).

The limbs of whales are arranged in a very unusual way. The front ones have turned into flattened fins, and their size can vary greatly among different species. For example, the fins of belted teeth and sperm whales are small, and they reach their greatest development in the humpback whale.

The long fins of a humpback whale resemble wings underwater.

But whales have no hind limbs at all; in their place in the lumbar spine there are only two small bones to which the muscles of... the genital organs are attached. The driving force in the whale's body is created by a powerful twin tail, but these are not modified hind legs, as some believe.

The powerful tail is used by whales for movement and protection.

The coloration of whales is varied, but discreet. More often, their body has a dark upper side and a lighter lower side; some species (Bryde's minke) may have clearly visible stripes on the underside of the head. Species such as the blue whale, gray whale, and sperm whale are uniformly gray or brown in color.

The beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) gets its name from its rare white skin color.

Whales are widespread throughout all oceans (and some seas) of the globe. They are found only in deep waters; as a rule, they do not enter bays, river mouths and similar shallow waters. Whales usually move freely across the ocean, but their movement is not chaotic. Each whale species has favorite breeding grounds that they visit during certain seasons. The rest of the time, whales fatten up, but do this in areas remote from their breeding grounds. Thus, whales migrate with a cyclicity of 1 year. When feeding, whales swim at a speed of 10-20 km/h, but in case of danger they switch to a cruising speed of 50 km/h. Adult males and non-breeding females stay alone, females with cubs, as well as all animals during the breeding season form herds of 5-15 individuals. There is a peaceful atmosphere inside the herd: the whales have no internal hierarchy, they do not show aggression towards each other, in case of danger, all members of the herd try to defend themselves with common efforts, there are even cases of mutual assistance to wounded brothers. In general, whales, with their huge size and clumsiness, give the impression of stupid and uninteresting animals. But this is a false idea! These peculiar animals are endowed with developed intelligence and are not inferior to dolphins in intelligence. For example, there are cases when whales showed interest in the underwater photographers who were filming them - the animals approached people and even tried to play with them in their own way, pushing them to the surface. Another example: whalers tracked down a female whale with her calf and killed the latter. The whale carcass was transported to the cutting site in tow. All this time, the female swam nearby and tried to remove the corpse of the cub from the rope. Captive whales in captivity quickly get used to people and are able to perform tricks (to the best of their physical capabilities). Like all highly developed animals, whales love to play, while they jump high out of the water and beat their tails loudly.

Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata).

Whales feed on a variety of marine animals, and there is a narrow specialization in the nutrition of different species. Baleen whales eat exclusively plankton - the smallest sea crustaceans. They extract it by filtering large volumes of water. To do this, the whale opens its mouth and takes water into its mouth...

Humpback whales use their open mouths as a scoop.

then with his tongue, like a piston, he pushes the water out of his mouth - the water flows freely through the whalebone, but the crustaceans remain.

A whale strains water with plankton.

Toothed whales feed on fish, which they also catch not individually, but in whole schools. Sperm whales specialize in catching deep-sea fish and shellfish (mainly squid). Many whales make long dives for hunting; they can stay under water for up to 1.5 hours. The record holders for diving depth are sperm whales, which were encountered at a depth of 1 km!

Whales are very infertile animals. Females reach sexual maturity at 7-15 years, males only at 15-25. Moreover, each individual participates in reproduction no more than once every 2 years. In the mating ritual of whales there is not only no aggression, but also any kind of struggle at all. Male whales attract the attention of females with their songs! Whale voices are surprisingly delicate for animals of their size. Each species of whale has its own set of sounds, but even individuals of the same species differ in the tone of their voice. The whale's song resembles a melodic moan and sounds very loud. According to divers, when a whale sings, the water around it vibrates. Female whales can mate with several males, since there is no struggle between representatives of the stronger sex, selection occurs in a very unusual way. It turns out that the gonads of whales are enormous (in the sperm whale, for example, up to 10-20% of body weight) and are capable of producing large amounts of sperm. Thus, among several males mating with one female, the one whose hormonal status is higher wins. Pregnancy in various species lasts 11-18 months. The female gives birth to only one calf, but it is large and developed. For example, the weight of a newborn blue whale is 2-3 tons. The calf is born tail first and, with the help of its mother, rises to the surface for its first breath. The mother often feeds the cub with very rich milk, due to which it grows quickly. The lactation period of whales is relatively short - 5-7 months. During this time, the cub manages to grow 2 times, then its growth slows down sharply. For another 1.5-2 years, the cub accompanies the mother, using her protection. In small and medium-sized whales, young animals are kept in herds until they reach sexual maturity, and sometimes later. Whales live 50-70 years.

Baby blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus).

It would seem that nothing could threaten such gigantic animals in this world. In reality, whales are very vulnerable to various dangers. In the ocean, whales have no enemies except... their own brothers. Killer whales (giant predatory dolphins often called whales) attack other species of cetaceans. Killer whales live in groups and act collectively, so even adult whales can hardly resist their coordinated attack, and the calves are completely defenseless. When attacked, whales try to escape by “flight”, swimming away from the herd of killer whales at high speed. If it was not possible to break away from the pursuit, the whale tries to fight off the attackers with strong blows of its tail, the mother swims under the calf from below, trying to cover it with her body.

But even in the absence of predators, whales have enough problems. Sometimes these animals experience... hunger. Massive fishing, global warming, and changing sea currents undermine the food supply of whales and animals can drift for several weeks in “barren” waters. Researchers have encountered extremely emaciated animals. In the Arctic Ocean, whales often become trapped in ice. Since whales breathe air, they are forced to surface regularly to replenish their supplies. If there are no suitable polynyas around, whales break through the ice with their heads, but they do not always succeed. When the ice is thick (or the opening is small), entire herds of whales suffocate under the ice.

Minke whale in Antarctic ice.

To top it all off, whales are actively hunted by people. Despite their impressive size (or rather, because of them), whales are attractive prey for fishing. There are no useless parts in a whale carcass; everything is used: fat (blub), meat, baleen, teeth, skin. Sperm whales are suppliers of very exotic products - spermaceti and ambergris. Spermaceti, despite its name, is not whale sperm at all, but a fat-like substance from the brain. Ambergris is found in the intestines and has a pleasant smell, which is why it got its name. Both substances are very valuable raw materials in the cosmetics industry and are extremely highly valued on the world market.

As a result of the impact of unfavorable factors, the number of almost all species of whales has greatly decreased, many species are on the verge of extinction. In this regard, the World Convention on the Prohibition of Whale Fishing was adopted (especially since whaling products have lost their relevance in our time). The only country that has not signed the convention is Japan. Japanese whalers still carry out mass fishing of all whales indiscriminately, justifying themselves by the fact that whale meat... is a traditional component of Japanese cuisine. On the other hand, tourism in whale breeding grounds has gained wide popularity. Nature lovers visit such places on small boats; queues line up to tour operators for the opportunity to watch whales live and hear their songs. Attempts to keep whales in captivity run into many obstacles: large species of whales cannot be kept due to their size, baleen whales cannot be fed with plankton, and catching an adult whale without killing it is very difficult. Repeated attempts to catch the cubs led to the death of the babies even at the transportation stage. Only the smallest species of whales (beluga whales, pilot whales) take root in aquariums, but they do not breed there. Perhaps the only way to preserve these unique animals is a widespread ban on their hunting and comprehensive protection of water resources.

The carcass of a beached blue whale is being cut up for further scientific research.