Whale (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what whales are, what their habitat is, how they reproduce and what their diet is like. Also, how long they live.

What are whales?

The whales are a group of marine cetacean mammals of which four different species are known to date. However, the term “whale” It is commonly used for any large cetacean like sperm whales. Humanity has known these animals since ancient times and was often inspired by them to create mythological sea monsters.

These are large marine life animals, whose species include the largest living animals on the planet (the blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus).

Like all mammals, whales are warm-blooded, air-breathing animals. capable of spending long periods of time submerged and then coming to the surface to replenish their air reserves and expel water from their lungs through a jet that rises into the air, which is one of the typical features of their presence.

Whales are often considered a kind of immense “sea cows”, that is, gentle animals that roam the deep seas, and that do not represent any danger to humanity, nor to other species beyond small organisms. which they feed.

Characteristics of whales

whale characteristics — Whales have lungs, so they must surface to breathe.

Broadly speaking, whales are characterized by the following:

are very voluminous animals one of the largest that exist on the planet, whose bodies can exceed, depending on the species, 35 meters in wingspan and hundreds of tons. There are also smaller species, which can be around 3 meters long and weigh much less.
These are marine mammals, that is, warm-blooded, air-breathing animals for which they have two holes (spiracles) at the top of their head, through which they can expel accumulated water and carry out gas exchange. For this last reason they have a tail arranged vertically, which allows them to quickly rise and descend.
There are two types of whales: baleen whales like the blue whale, and the teeth like the sperm whale. The former feed by filtering the water, the latter instead devour their prey.
have solid bodies covered in a layer of fat that insulates their insides from the cold waters of the deep sea, and are capable of holding their breath for 45 minutes and reaching depths of almost a kilometer.

Where do whales live?

whale where they live migration — Many whales migrate when they reproduce.

Different species of whales choose different habitats, almost always in deep waters of the different oceans. For example, blue whales prefer the North Atlantic, while gray whales prefer the east and west of the northern Pacific Ocean.

Many species are migrants so they spend long periods of time in one place, but go to specific sites to reproduce, as occurs with the southern right whale that visits the Argentine Atlantic coasts for several months of the year.

What do whales eat?

In general, whales are carnivorous although their respective diets usually consist of small fish, tiny crustaceans (such as krill) and zooplankton, which filter from the water thanks to the set of barbs they have and which measure 5 to 25 cm in length. Instead, toothed species can feed on squid and other cephalopods of deep waters.

How do whales reproduce?

humpback whale — Whales have only one calf at a time, which measures approximately 5 meters at birth.

Like all mammals, whales reproduce sexually and viviparously with long gestations of almost a year at the end of which a single calf is born. The latter, at birth, measure about 5 meters and weigh around three thousand kilos, in the largest species, and they feed on mother's milk during their first years of life.

How long do whales live?

The average lifespan of a whale is around 30 to 40 years although it is known that some particularly voluminous species can reach 200 years of age, thanks to their particularly slow metabolisms, such as the bowhead whale.

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