Hi friends! Today, we’re going to dive into the amazing world of whales. Whales are fascinating creatures, and there’s so much to learn about them. Let’s get started!
Whales are mammals, just like us! Even though they live in the water, they breathe air, have hair, are warm-blooded, give birth to live babies, and feed their young with milk. Whales are huge! They can be as long as a basketball court, which is about 98 feet. That’s a lot bigger than any of us!
Whales can also weigh a lot. Some are as light as 600 pounds, like the dwarf sperm whale, while others, like the blue whale, can weigh more than 200 tons. That’s as heavy as a house!
There are two main types of whales: toothed whales and baleen whales. Toothed whales have teeth and include species like sperm whales, orcas, dolphins, porpoises, and narwhals. Did you know a narwhal’s horn is actually a long tooth?
Baleen whales are bigger and include blue whales, humpback whales, and bowhead whales. Instead of teeth, they have baleen plates that help them filter food from the water.
Toothed whales use their teeth to grab food like fish, squid, and octopus. Orcas, which are a type of toothed whale, sometimes eat sharks and other marine animals. They use echolocation, which is like a special sound radar, to find their food.
Baleen whales don’t have teeth. They have baleen plates made of keratin, the same stuff in our hair and nails. These plates help them filter tiny creatures from the water. They swim with their mouths open to catch plankton and other small sea animals.
Whales are great at communicating underwater. They make amazing sounds that can be heard for miles. These sounds are like moans, howls, and cries, and they help whales talk to each other.
The blue whale is the largest whale and the biggest creature ever to live on Earth. It’s even bigger than the dinosaurs! Blue whales are so big that the ocean helps support their weight, allowing them to float.
While blue whales are huge, the sperm whale has the largest brain. Their brains are five times bigger than ours and weigh about 20 pounds!
Whales play a big role in keeping the ocean healthy. Their waste helps tiny plants called phytoplankton grow. Phytoplankton are important because they produce over half of the world’s oxygen and help reduce climate change.
Sadly, many whales were hunted in the past, and some species, like the blue whale, became very rare. Today, people are working to protect whales and their habitats.
Let’s see what you’ve learned! True or false: Baleen whales are larger than toothed whales? True! Which word best describes whales? A) aggressive, B) venomous, C) enormous, D) domestic? The answer is C) enormous!
Great job, whale experts! If you enjoyed learning about whales, check out more fun animal lessons at learn.org. Keep exploring and have fun!
Whale Size Comparison: Find objects around your home or school that can help you understand the size of different whales. For example, use a measuring tape to measure 98 feet to see how long a blue whale is. Compare it to the length of a basketball court or your classroom. Discuss with your friends or family how big a blue whale is compared to other things you know.
Create a Whale Sound Symphony: Whales communicate using unique sounds. Try making your own whale sounds using your voice or simple instruments like a drum or a whistle. Record your sounds and play them back to see how they might sound underwater. Discuss how these sounds might help whales communicate over long distances.
Whale Diet Exploration: Make a simple chart to show what different types of whales eat. Draw or cut out pictures of fish, squid, plankton, and other sea creatures. Match them with the right type of whale: toothed or baleen. Discuss why each type of whale eats different foods and how they find their meals in the ocean.
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Hi friends! Today we are going to learn all about whales. You can read along with us by downloading this lesson plan from our website, learn.org.
What are whales? Even though whales live in the water, they are mammals just like you and me. Humans and whales breathe air, have hair, are warm-blooded, give live births to their young, and feed their young milk. They are quite large—much bigger than humans! In fact, a whale’s size can range from 9 to 98 feet. Think of the length of a professional basketball court, and you have some idea of how big they can be.
These massive mammals also have a wide range in weight. They can be as small as the 600 lb dwarf sperm whale or weigh more than 200 tons, like the colossal blue whale. Imagine the average house, approximately 2,000 square feet, and you have some idea of how heavy 200 tons is!
There are two types of whales: toothed and baleen. Toothed whales use their teeth for hunting and eating. This group includes sperm whales, orcas, dolphins, porpoises, and narwhals. Speaking of narwhals, a narwhal’s horn is actually one long tooth protruding from its lip. Baleen whales are larger than toothed whales and include blue whales, humpbacks, and bowhead whales. They eat by straining creatures through the fringed plates of long, fingernail-like material called baleen.
What do they eat? Toothed and baleen whales eat very differently. Toothed whales are grabbers and suckers, while baleen whales are skimmers and gulpers. All whales have teeth; however, they differ in number, size, and position of the teeth in their mouths, and from species to species. The teeth even have different purposes. For example, orcas use their teeth to grab food, but narwhals use their long tooth tusk to help them sense their surroundings. While all whales have teeth, toothed whales don’t use their teeth for chewing food; they do not have molars to grind up their food, so they swallow it whole or in large chunks. Toothed whales use echolocation to help them find and target their prey. They usually eat fish, squid, and octopus, but sometimes orcas will also eat sharks or other marine mammals.
Baleen whales do not have teeth; instead, they have hundreds of overlapping baleen plates growing downward from the gums of the upper jaw. Baleen is made out of keratin, the same material our hair and fingernails are made of. Each whale species has a unique number, size, and color of baleen plates. Baleen is strong and flexible, making it the perfect filter to strain out seawater and keep in prey. Inside the baleen plates is a hairy fringe, which is how the whales earned the nickname “mustached whales.” They swim through patches of plankton with their mouths open. Tiny plankton caught by the baleen remain trapped in their mouths. Gray whales suck amphipods like a vacuum cleaner from the bottom of the ocean. They take in mouthfuls of mud and food before forcing the water and mud out through their baleen and capturing their prey.
Other interesting facts: Underwater, whales are great communicators and make otherworldly noises that can be heard for miles. They have complex combinations of moans, howls, and cries that they produce when they push air around in their heads. The sound of the air moving around is amplified through a blob of fat at the top of their jaw. People believe that whales communicate through these sounds.
The blue whale is the biggest whale alive today, and not only is it the biggest today, but it is also the biggest creature to have ever lived on Earth. They are even larger than a brontosaurus or any other dinosaur. Because they live in the ocean, saltwater supports their bodies, which helps them float. The females are larger than the males, and blue whales in the southern hemisphere are larger than those in the northern hemisphere. While the blue whale is enormous, it doesn’t have the largest brain. The largest brain on Earth belongs to the sperm whale. Their brains are almost 500 cubic inches, which is five times the volume of our human brains, which are around 80 cubic inches. Sperm whale brains also weigh six times as much as a human brain, meaning their brains weigh about 20 lbs. Sperm whales can have such large brains because they have giant heads, up to a third of their overall body length. However, their brains don’t take up most of the room; instead, inside their head is a large cavity filled with yellowish oil called spermaceti. This oil was valuable to whalers who sold it for lamp fuel, creams, and ointments.
Why are they important to the environment? Whales are at the top of the food chain and play an essential role in the health of the ocean ecosystem. Whale waste fertilizes microscopic phytoplankton, on which all sea life depends. In addition, phytoplankton help lessen climate change by capturing carbon and producing over half of the world’s oxygen. The relationship between whales, phytoplankton, and the atmosphere is essential to sustaining a healthy ocean and planet.
For a long time, people hunted whales, and blue whales are now rare because of widespread commercial hunting. Other whale populations have ended up on the verge of extinction. Scientists believe that ending the practice of whale hunting, improving commercial fishing practices, and making efforts to clean the environment have improved whales’ chances of long-term survival. Large vessels supporting oil and gas have increased shipping in the ocean, creating a lot more noise. Unfortunately, this noise masks many whale communications and makes it difficult for whales to find food and mates. It also complicates navigation and caring for their young.
Let’s review some whale-tastic facts! True or false: Baleen whales are larger than toothed whales? True! Choose the word the author would say best describes the whale: A) aggressive, B) venomous, C) enormous, D) domestic? C) enormous! How does baleen help a whale eat? The baleen is strong and flexible, which helps the whale filter out water and keep in prey.
Wonderful work, whale experts! If you liked learning about whales, remember to head over to learn.org for even more awesome animal lesson plans. Hope you had fun learning with us! Visit us at learn.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.
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