|
Whales live in both salt water and
freshwater. The most common way of classifying whales is on the
basis of their teeth. Some types of whales do not have teeth at
all. A very well known species in the toothed variety is the
dolphin. Toothless whales are referred to as baleen whales. This is
because instead of having tooth they have giant comb like structures
called baleen, lining their mouths. These baleens are used to filter
small bits of food like crustaceans and small fishes from water.
The outer body of the whale has a thick
layer of fat. This acts as a storehouse for energy and body heat,
and comes in very handy in near freezing waters. The layer of fat
also aids buoyancy. Remember how whales are generally depicted in
cartoons? Yes, a spout of water, this is enough to tell the reader
that a whale is in the vicinity. Do you know what the spout of water
means? It means that the whale is exhaling while coming up to the
surface to breathe. The spout is also accompanied by a loud noise.
The exit point for the spout is a blowhole located on the top of the
whale’s head.
And how do you think the whale changes
direction while swimming? It uses its flippers as one would a
steering wheel. In some species, these flippers are so powerful that
the whales even use them for fighting!
Whales have very efficient kidneys, which
effectively filter out salt from all the saltwater that they drink.
We do know that while swimming and diving, swimmers need to hold
their breath for some time. Whales do it too. Only, they do it in
proportion with their size. Depending upon their species, whales can
hold their breath from anywhere between 50 minutes to 80 minutes! |
