Whales
Whales are one of the most popular of all animal groups. Part of this must be due to their size; for the group includes the biggest animals that have ever lived. There is a lot of confusion about the names 'whale' and 'dolphin'.They both belong the same order, the Cetacea. This group is split into two sub-orders. Most of the species that we would consider whales (such as blue whales, humpback whales) belong to the 'baleen whale' group (but does not include the Sperm Whale and the Orca) . The other group are the 'toothed whales', and includes what we normally think of as the , porpoises and some whales. The name of the baleen whale group comes from the sieve-like plates that hang down inside the mouth. The animal opens its huge mouth and water gets sucked in. The water is then squeezed out with the giant tongue, and planktonic organisms are caught on these filters. This suborder includes about 14 species, including the largest of all animals, the Blue Whale. But the most commonly seen and famous species is the Humpback (pictured below).
The information and images above have been edited from extracts from the book |
