Whales - Information and questions for learners
If I hear the word 'whale' I always think about the movie 'Free Willie' with the big killer whale (Orca) and the little boy that became friends, but the truth is, there are more than one type of whale. There are more or less 79 species of whales.
Whales are huge, warm-blooded, air breathing mammals that live in the sea. There are many different species including the blue whale, killer whale, humpback whale and minke.
- Choose any whale you would like to know more information on and do your own research to find extra facts.
Many types of whales do not have teeth, but they have a 'curtain' that looks like a comb hanging in their mouth. This is called a 'baleen' and helps to filter small creatures from the water for them to eat.
The baby whale is called a calf and the whole group of whales will look after the new babies. These groups of whales which can be called a pod, can either consist of mostly females or mostly male whales.
Whales that are found in both Northern and Southern hemisphere never meet or breed together. Their migration is timed so that they are never in breeding areas at the same time.
How do you know the age of a whale? You look at the wax plug in its ear. Whaaaat? If you cut the wax in half you can count the layers to determine the age. Almost like counting the rings of a tree.
If you have watched 'Finding Nemo' or 'Finding Dory' you would know that whales love to sing at one another. They will even get bored after a while with the same 'song' and start another one.
It can happen that whales misjudge the direction they are swimming in and then they swim out on the beach and get stranded. If they are not helped back into the ocean, they will die.
Whales also have go come to the surface to breathe through their blow hole - the same as what a dolphin does.
Whales support many different types of life. Several creatures, such as barnacles and sea lice, attach themselves to the skin of whales and live there.
- Watch the following video and answer the questions that follow
- What type of whale is this video about?
- Why is a whale a mammal?
- What keeps the whale warm in the cold water?
- How long can a whale become and how heavy?
- What is the meaning of the word 'migrate' and why do they migrate to warmer waters?
- How do the males make the sounds?
- What is the function of the blowhole.
- How long does the baby whale stay with his mom?
- Why are humpback whales protected species?
- How can you identify different humpbacks?
- For fun watch the 'Free Willie' movies.
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