Whales+-+Sophie

How many species of whales are found in the world and how many of these are found in Antarctica and what are their names?
There are about 86 species of whales in the whole world, they are divided into two sub-orders, the toothed whales and the baleen whales. About 90% of all whales are toothed Whales, they are generally smaller than Baleen whales and only have one blowhole. Baleen whales have plates of baleen growing from their upper jaw, in rows on each side of the mouth. The most commonly found whales in Antarctica are the Blue, Right, Humpback, Minke, Sperm, Fin,an Killer whales. There are other whales that are smaller and rarer than the other whales in Antarctica such as the Southern Bottle nose whale and the Arnoux's Beaked whale. The killer Whale and the Sperm Whale are the only toothed whales found in Antarctic regions.

Where is their habitat located within Antarctica?

What do these whales eat?
Toothed whales eat mostly fish, Squid and sometimes seals, they use their teeth for gripping prey.They don't chew their food, so they swallow their prey whole or in large pieces. Killer whales will also eat other whales. Baleen whales suck in krill and plankton through the front gap of baleen then release the water out. Baleen whales spend summer continuously feeding before migrating. Whales that feed in the Antarctic travel north, and whales that feed in the Arctic will travel south, to warmer waters for breeding.

Do they have any natural predators?
Whales have no natural predators in the oceans so they are able to live for many years. There may be threats to whales that people don't know about since many whales are endangered. Humans remain to be a constant threat to whales. In many countries it is illegal to kill whales but many people do it anyway.Whales would be made into oils, tools and weapons. Since there are more boats, a whale could be hit, injured or killed easily especially during migration when whales tend to move very quickly. Other threats are fishing nets which whales could be tangled in and polluted oceans which can damage their health. Whales eat large amounts of food each day to maintain their body temperature so id other marine life is killed, whales will have a hard time balancing body temperatures. ==== Choose three (3) species of whales and in detail discuss the similarities and differences between them. ====
 * The Blue Whale**

Blue Whales are the largest and loudest mammals on Earth and are baleen whales. They can live to 70 or 90 years. Blue whales either live individually or in small groups. They usually swim in pairs. They can grow up to 30 meters in length and can weigh up to 170 tonnes or more. Its tongue has the same weight as an elephant! Blue whales are massive and hefty the moment they are born and weigh 2 tons. Blue whales are a light grey/ dark grey color, under water however, they are an aqua blue color. Blue whales eat tiny shrimp like animals called krill. An average male Blue whales consumes up to 4 tonnes of krill in a day! There are approximately 5,000 to 12,000 blue whales left in the entire world. Blue whales mate and give birth during the winter to early spring. Females give birth to calves every two to three years. They remain pregnant for a year before giving birth. A nursing mother would produces over 50 gallons of milk a day. the mother and calf will stay together for about another year or more before they separate. there have been reports of twin blue whales though it is extremely rare.
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 * The Killer Whale**

The Killer whale is also referred to as the Orca whale or the Orca. It is a toothed whale that weighs. Killer whales hunt many different type of prey. They eat different types of fish,seals and sometime s other whales. An average Killer whale eats 227 kilograms of food a day. Killer whales hunt in packs and are sometimes called wolves of the sea. There are about 50,000 Killer whales in the oceans today.Probably the largest population of Killer whales live in the Antarctic, there are roughly about 25,000 whales in the Antarctic.
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