Here are the 35 most interesting facts about whales. There are 80 different species of whale – facts are only available on 79 of them. That’s because there is a beaked whale, a Mesplodon who has never been studied or classified and is officially listed as unidentified, but he has been spotted at sea.
35 Interesting and Fun Facts about Whale
All whales are divided into two groups–toothed whales (Odonocetes) and filter feeders (Mysticetes), otherwise known as baleen whales.
Dolphins are in the whale family.
Whales are mammals and so breathe air. Their nose is on the top of their heads and is called a blowhole. Toothed whales have one opening and baleen whales have two.
Whales sing songs. The humpback whale was the first discovered to sing but now others have also been identified. The song is believed to be the mating call of the male.
Humpback whales are normally 40-50 feet long.
Humpback whales migrate father away than any other mammal. They travel 5,000 miles from the Antarctic Peninsula to Columbia.
Humpback whales only breed every two to four years.
An average humpback whale weighs 30 tons.
Humpback whales eat fish and krill (shrimp-like).
A humpback whale at birth is 10-12 feet long and weighs 2000 pounds.
Gestation for a humpback whale is eleven months.
Finback whales weigh 40 tons when they reach adulthood.
Finback whales weigh 3000 pounds at birth and are 15-18 feet long.
Right whales are 45-55 feet long and weigh 40-50 tons as adults.
A Minke whale is 15-25 feet long and weighs 5-8 tons as an adult.
Minke whales have the largest population of any whale at one million.
Minke whales are still fished commercially in Japan and Norway.
A Sei (pronounced say) whale is 65 feet long and weighs 40-50 tons as an adult. Sei whales are an endangered species.
200,000 Sei whales were killed in the 20th century.
Atlantic White Scaled Dolphins only live in the North Atlantic from New England to Norway.
As an adult, an Atlantic White Scaled Dolphin is 5 to 8 feet and weighs 300-600 lbs.
Sperm whales live to be between 60 and 70 years old.
The Northern Right Whale is the most endangered species with only 300 living.
Some whale facts are hard to believe: a feeding Adult Blue Whale takes in 10,000 gallons of water in one mouthful–they then drain it back out through their filters, with the food staying in the mouth.
Fin whales can swim at speeds around 35 mph.
Gray whales can swim in as little as six feet of water.
Bowhead whales in the Antarctic use their heads to break through the ice to breathe.
Whales give birth to one calf in each gestation. They don’t have twins.
When researching whale facts you will learn that a blue whale calf drinks 130 gallons of milk every day while he is nursing. They gain up to 200 pounds a day.
When you are watching a whale it is the dorsal fin that sticks straight out of the water like an antenna.
Scientists now track whales from satellites .
Each side of a whale’s tail is called a flick.
Sperm whales have the capacity to dive down to two miles deep–10,000 feet.
Killer whales have been seen eating deer and moose.
