Whales are air-breathing mammals that feed their young with their milk and take exceptional care of them while teaching them life skills. Many of us think whales are unique; they certainly inspire and have a sense of belonging. Whales make many people’s lives better when they make contact with them. Whales are one-of-a-kind, gorgeous, graceful, and mysterious creatures that care for, bond with, play with, sing with, and collaborate. Here are some fascinating facts regarding whales and their watery lives.
1. On the planet, there are two ‘types’ of whales
Whales are divided into 2 groups: toothed and baleen. Toothed whales, as the name implies, have teeth. They make up 76 species of whales, including sperm whales, beluga whales, and narwhals. These are gregarious creatures who are also skilled hunters. They employ bio sonar to track down their prey, including huge fish, octopuses, and squid.
The baleen whale, but on the other hand, has no teeth. Rather, their mouths are bordered with keratin plates that look like curtains.
2. The largest animal that has ever lived is the blue whales
Here’s a crazy fact: a blue whale is the biggest animal ever existed on the planet. It’s nearly doubling the approximate weight of the largest known dinosaur, weighing up to 200 tons (about 33 elephants).
3. Singing
Male humpbacks are by far the most well-known crooners, with serenades lasting up to 30 minutes and even making it onto record charts. Bowheads have the most song repertoire and, as jazz musicians, often like improvising. And, as the world’s largest mammal, it’s no wonder that blue whales have the minimum intensity songs.
4. A whale with a bowhead can live for up to 200 years
In terms of marine mammals, the bowhead whale appears to get the most birthday candles to blow out - around 200 to be exact. They also have the widest mouth of any animal, which comes in useful.
5. The lifetime migration of a grey whale is equal to a round-trip to the moon
Grey whales are noted for having one of the longest migrations in the world. Each year, they move in pods, covering more than 10,000 miles across their summer habitat in Alaskan waters to the much more temperate waters of Mexico.
6. Tails of whales are like fingerprints
Each whale tail is unique, just like a person’s fingerprints or a zebra’s stripes. The undersides of whales’ flukes, like the patterns and valleys on our fingertips, are one-of-a-kind. Color, form, and other unique qualities, such as scars or barnacles, are all noticeable.
7. Sperm whales prefer to nap in a vertical position
When whales need to sleep, they have the extraordinary ability to turn off half of their brains and use the other half to regulate their breathing while maintaining one eye on potential predators and impediments. While most whales like to rest horizontally (known as “logging” due to their resemblance to a floating log), sperm whales choose a different approach.
8. The blue whale had been on the verge of perishing because of hunting
About 225,000 Antarctic blue whales were formerly thought to exist. That is before commercial whaling nearly wiped them out in the twentieth century. They are now classified as critically endangered since their population is less than 3,000.
9. Wind turbines were inspired by humpback whales
According to scientists, the small ridges on the trailing edge of humpback whales’ flippers are responsible for their amazing underwater agility. The humpback’s ability to reach extremely high speeds considering their size is due to the phenomenon known as the “tubercle effect.” This small miracle of nature has resulted in more streamlined turbine blades, which minimize drag and make better use of wind and water energy.
10. Perfumes made from whale vomit
Ambergris is a type of whale feces discharged from the abdomen and is thought to help the whale digest its food. It begins soft and nasty after being discharged hundreds of kilometers from the coast. Years of exposure to seawater and the sun transform it into a rock-like substance with a waxy texture and a sweet odor.
