Baleen whales Essays

Evolutionary History of Baleen Whales Dailynn Tejeda Hazleton Area Academy of Sciences The Evolutionary History of Baleen Whales The baleen whale family houses the largest whales that are currently known to man, leaving many scientists questioning as to how, and why, these whales evolved to become so humungous, when millions of years ago they were much smaller. Questions as to how they evolved to only feed on minuscule prey are also raised when speaking about baleen whale evolution. The evolutionary

According to “How did whales become do large? Scientists dive into marine mystery” by Nicola Davis, the blue whale has a body the length of a jetliner, a heart the size of a car and a tongue the weight of an elephant. Researchers now say that they might have found the solution to the mystery behind why baleen whales-a group that includes the blue whales, became the largest animals on the planet. Scientists say that the massive growth which was driven by changes in the distribution of oceanic food

"There is nothing to throw away from a whale except its voice" (Arader, 2012). This ancient Japanese proverb demonstrates the depth of whaling within the Japanese culture throughout the ages. According to the Kijoki, the oldest chronicle in Japan recording the ancient Japanese history; the first emperor of Japan used to eat whale meat and fishing villages built whale monuments to celebrate whale hunting and shrines to worship the whale as well (Facts About Japan, n.d.). Similarly, whaling has a considerable

source. In fact, there have been more than 50 mega-spills since 1970. One of the worst effects of oil spills is the immense impact on marine wildlife. Humans should reduce their oil usage because oil spills are harmful to marine mammals, dangerous to whales, destructive to aquatic birds, deadly to fish, and can be as disastrous as the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The effects of oil spills on mammals are catastrophic. When these creatures come into contact with oil, they can develop hypothermia. This is

Whale is the common name for a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic marine mammals. They are an informal grouping within the infraorder Cetacea, excluding dolphins and porpoises, so to zoologists the grouping is paraphyletic. The whales comprise the extant families Cetotheriidae (whose only living member is the pygmy right whale), Balaenopteridae (the rorquals), Balaenidae (right whales), Eschrichtiidae (the gray whale), Monodontidae (belugas and narwhals), Physeteridae (the sperm

themes. The whale uses all five themes to perform functions essential to their lives. Many living organisms have been affected by the five major themes of biology. Whales are a strong example of how organisms use these themes. The first theme whales have been affected by is organization. Whales travel in large groups of about 10-20 whales and make noises to communicate, locate food, and find each other. These strategies help them to stay organized. Information flow has affected whales by transferring

the mid-to-late 19th century, it was first harvested from whales. Prior to the eruption of the whaling industry during the 17th century, “Marine biologists estimate that there were as many as 4.5 million of the largest whales, plus millions more of the smaller whales, which includes their close relatives, the dolphins and porpoises” (Murphy 10). By the early 20th century, researchers expect that humans were killing over fifty-thousand whales a year, this staggering number brought many species near

GRAY WHALE FACTS 1. Seasons for whales can be broken down into two primary seasons: mating season and feeding season. 2. Every year various species of whale travel several thousand miles to mate and reproduce offspring. 3. During mating season these whales will travel towards the equator to take advantage of the warmer climates. 4. Depending on the species of whale mating season can vary, but it typically occurs during the colder fall and winter months where whales can take advantage of the warmer

Both the humpback whales and the blue whales are extremely vocal mammals, their beautiful and mysterious songs travel great distances across the ocean; the blue whale, both the Humpback and Blue whales are apart of the class of baleen whale; while, the humpback whale population isn’t having trouble maintaining its numbers, the blue whales, whom, had previously been plagued by poachers, causing them long-term damage to their population. Both the Humpback Whales and the Blue Whales produce truly unique

killer whales are whales or dolphins. Orcas share many similarities with both species of animals ranging from bone structure to teeth. Some of the more important similarities were eating and hunting habits. Some instantly noticeable similarities in all three was the blow-holes, breathing oxygen, and all three being aquatic mammals. Plus, all three give birth to living young. Another similarity between the three aquatic mammals is their forms of communication. Dolphins, whales, and killer whales all

Whale, aquatic mammal and the largest animals that have ever lived in the ocean. They are most closely related to hippopotamuses. Characteristic and behavior are warm-blooded, and produce milk to feed their young. Their adaptation for aquatic life include a streamlined form, the tail is used for propulsion and the head is very large. The whale have nostril where is on the top of the head called blowholes. They have small eyes, great pressures and hearing also excellent and extremely intelligent.

benefits, one unbothered) Barnacle and Whale

cut up into pieces. This is the fate of hundreds of whales every year. Although many countries such as Japan and Norway continue to hunt whales for their byproducts and scientific research, whaling should be outlawed

The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is one of the largest of the Cetaceans. They are fairly well known, even outside of the scientific community. They are identifiable by their dark grey dorsal color, white underbellies, very long pectoral flippers and by their habits of breaching and raising their tales above the water before diving. Their range expands tropical, temperate, and sub polar waters all around the world. They migrate in search of breading grounds and feeding grounds. Humpbacks

are also hunted as long as three thousand years ago as resources: their meat for food; their blubber for oil, and their teeth and bones for clothes, jewelry, or tools (Bauer, McCafferty, Simmonds, & Wright, 2013, p.201). As time pass, dolphin and whale hunting became a more prominent and structured industry, and the knowledge about these marine mammals’ biology and behaviors grew. In recent decades, with the help of ample media exposure and scientific publications, the public shifted its attitude

been hunting and killing whales, using these whales for many types of commercialization. However, whales have been killed so often that many whale species have come close to extinction over the past few decades. By the late 1930s, around 350,000 whales were being killed annually, so in 1986, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) banned commercial whaling because of the extreme depletion of whale numbers. Since then, whale numbers have grown and the number of whales being killed annually decreased

For centuries, humans have hunted numerous whale species for their meat, oil, and baleen. Due to the technological advances made in the 18th and 19th century, whaling became increasingly more popular. By the 1930s, over 50,000 whales were being killed every year, and many species (such as the sperm whale) were almost hunted to extinction. Now that these species are finally making a comeback, it is pivotal that we as a society, who wants to keep our whales, make sure that we never allow whaling to

species of whales as a cultural exemption should not be considered. According to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, “the whaling industry is in decline and the demand for meat is falling” (WDC, n.d.). Given this statement, I would support the ban of whaling worldwide. In addition, it would be difficult and costly to monitor the whaling activity that is taking place in waters where whales frequent. The separation of non-endangered species will not deter whalers from hunting any whale in sight

the period of Paleozoic Era, about 300 million years ago, marine life was arranged in a totally different way from now. Enormous creatures dwelled the aquatic depths and no smaller scale fish would approach them. For example, although it was a baleen whale, Archaeomysticetus was not like

Anatomy Their prolonged upper and lower jaws shape what is known as a platform, or nose, which gives the creature its basic name. The genuine, practical nose is the blowhole on top of its head; the nasal septum is unmistakable when the blowhole is open. Bottlenose dolphins have 18 to 28 cone shaped teeth on each side of each jaw. The flukes (flaps of the tail) and dorsal blade are framed of thick connective tissue and don't contain bone or muscle. The creature moves itself by moving the flukes all