Whale

Humpback whale

Whale breaching

noun - Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to the suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales). This suborder also includes humpback whales, sperm whales, killer whales, pilot whales, orcas, and beluga whales. The other Cetacean suborder, Mysticeti (baleen whales), comprises filter feeders that eat small organisms caught by straining seawater through a comblike structure found in the mouth called baleen. This suborder includes the blue whale, the humpback whale, the bowhead whale and the minke whale. All Cetacea have forelimbs modified as fins, a tail with horizontal flukes, and nasal openings (blowholes) on top of the head.

Whales range in size from the blue whale, the largest animal known to have ever existed at 30 m (98 ft) and 180 tonnes (180 long tons; 200 short tons), to various pygmy species, such as the pygmy sperm whale at 3.5 m (11 ft).

Whales collectively inhabit all the world's oceans and number in the millions, with annual population growth rate estimates for various species ranging from 3% to 13%. For centuries, whales have been hunted for meat and as a source of raw materials. By the middle of the 20th century, industrial whaling had left many species seriously endangered, leading to the end of whaling in all but a few countries.

External links

• The Three Dimensional Aspect of Ocean Swimming
• The Jaws of a Cetacean
• The Dolphin & Whale Capital Of The World
• When The Tsunami Hit, Penny Palfrey Took Off
• Nachts Allein Im Ozean, Mein Weg durch die Ocean’s Seven
• Michelle Macy Talks About Her Open Water Journey On WOWSA Live
• The Importance Of Technique And Timing
• Kids Can Say The Cutest Things
• A Whale Of A Conservation Problem
• Badges Of Honour In Open Water Swimming
• The Roman Empire In The Open Water
• What Open Water Swim Could Be More Dangerous?
• Fish Or Meat? What Do Orcas Prefer?
• Julian Rusinek Finishes 2-Year Journey Between 2 Islands
• Paul Lundgren's Transformation Off The Grid Into The Wild
• 50 Things Open Water Swimmer Should Not Do
• 100 Things Every Open Water Swimmer Should Know
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• Where Landmarks Are Pure Snowy White
• Fearless And Frozen At The Bottom Of The World
• The Perfect Open Water Swimming Venue
• 50 Things To Do In The Open Water After 50
• Man With Mother Nature In The Open Water
• Biomimicry Among The Open Water Swimmers
• Open Water Swimming
• What It Feels Like To Swim With Whales
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• Swimming On Valentine's Day