Whales+-+Isaac

==== 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 86 species of whales in the world, 8 of these species of are found in Antarctica. The names are blue whale, minke whale, fin whale, sei whale, sperm whale, southern right whale, humpback whale and orca (killer) whale. ====

// The blue whale is the largest animal on earth, bigger than the largest dinosaurs! //
//Fin whales are the second largest whales and the fastest swimming whale of all the large whales.// //Minke whales are the smallest baleen whales and are still hunted for scientific reasons by Japan.// //Sperm whales are the deepest diving mammals, they can dive up to 1 mile! Sperm whales are not baleen whales, they are toothed whales.// //They were named southern "right" whales because they are easy to catch by whalers. They have large amount of oil, slow at swimming and float when dead.// //Humpback whales are the most active whales, they breach, lob-tail and flipper-slap. Like the southern right whale, humpbacks are slow swimmers, they can be easily caught by whalers.// //Sei whales have another kind of technique when diving, instead of humping their backs or showing their flukes they just simply sink below the surface.// //Killer whales are the smallest whales but also a threat to baleen whales and other seals and penguins. Killer whales (also pronounced "orca" whale) are toothed whales, not baleen.//

==== Where is their habitat located within Antarctica ? Minke whales love to live in pack ice during the summer, they breed during winter in tropical waters and feed in Antarctic waters. Fin whales live in all the major oceans, polar to tropical waters. It is absent only in waters close to ice pack. They breed in temperate, low-latitude seas during winter and feed in Antarctic waters. Blue whales live in pack ice like minke whales, they breed in the Southern Hemisphere and feeds in Antarctic oceans. Humpback whales live in polar seas. Humpback breeding areas are fairly well known. In Australia they breed inside the Great Barrier Reef on the East Coast and the Northwest Shelf and along the west Kimberly coast. They feed in Antarctic waters, and during their migration south from their breeding areas. Killer whales live almost everywhere throughout earth's ocean. They breed and feed in Antarctic waters. Southern right whales live in the southern hemisphere. They feed north during the summer months and breeds in the north. Sperm whales live almost everywhere. They feed in cooler polar regions during the summer months and return to warmer breeding waters during the winter months. ==== ==== What do these whales eat? Killer whales eat fish, squid, emperor penguins, Adelie, leopard seals, weddell, crabeaters and other baleen whales. They use their teeth to eat their prey. Fin whales eat primarily on krill, they use their baleen, like what all baleen whales do, to filter their prey. Humpback whales eat krill, but also they eat small fish and plankton during their migration south. Blue whales gulp up to 50 tonnes of krill, but only swallows the krill. Minke whales eat krill and they usually feed in groups. Sei whales eat plankton, krill and small fish. Southern right whales eat plankton, krill and other crustaceans. Sperm whales eat giant squid, octopus and fish. Like killer whales and toothed whales they use their teeth to eat their prey. ==== ==== How do they survive in a harsh environment? Whales have thick layers fat on their skin called "blubber", which protects them from the icy water. ==== ==== Do they have any natural predators? Baleen whales' predators are killer whales and large sharks. Killer whales may team up and attack a baleen whale. The baleen whales greatest threat though, is man. Men kill whales primarily for oil and meat. We call these men whalers. Killer whales have predators too. Sharks. Sharks prey on older, younger or ill killer whales but don't prey on healthy killer whales. Sperm whales have vicious teeth on their lower jaw. They are like gentle giants. Adult sperm whales don't have any predators, but killer whales prey on calves and young sperm whales. Sperm whales also had been hunted by whalers. Killer whales was hunted by whalers too. Killer whales have helped whalers huntfor other whales too. ====

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//Killer whales eating a Minke whale.// ==== Choose three (3) species of whales and in detail discuss the similarities and differences between them. Humpback, blue and southern right whales are all baleen whales. But they're still different from one another. Blue whales are the biggest mammals that has ever lived and the biggest animal in the world! It is 30 metres in length and 170 tonnes or more in weight. Humpback whales are the most active whales and have long pectoral fins ("arms"). They are 15 metres in length and 40 tonnes in weight. Humpback whales are named like this because they raise and bend their backs. This is why it has a hump in front of the dorsal fin. Southern right whales are 45-55 feet in length and 60 tonnes in weight. They are named "right" whales because they are the right whales to catch. They have large amounts of oil, blubber and baleen. They are slow swimmers and they float when dead. ==== media type="youtube" key="1qhSHCjvDz8" height="510" width="853"