Fin Whale Vs Blue Whale, The fin whale is one of the rorquals, a family that includes the humpback whale, blue whale, Bryde’s whale, sei whale, and minke whale. Rorquals all have a dorsal fin and throat grooves that expand when the animal is feeding. The fin or finback whale is second only to the blue whale in size and weight. Among the fastest of the great whales, it is capable of bursts of speed of up to 23 mph (37 km/hr) leading to its description as the “greyhound of the sea.” Its most unusual characteristic is the asymmetrical colouring of the lower jaw, which is white or creamy yell ..read more

Are Pilot Whales Dangerous? The pilot whale, like the killer whale, is a member of the dolphin family and is second only to the killer whale in size. Displaying intelligence equal to that of the bottlenose dolphin, the pilot whale is easily trained. One captive pilot whale named Morgan was trained by Navy scientists to retrieve beeper-attached objects from the ocean floor at depths of over 1,600 feet. Carrying a clamping recovery device in his mouth, he attached it to the located object, which was then raised to the surface by compressed air balloons. The pilot whale is extremely social a ..read more

Orcas Called Killer Whales?? Killer whale/orca male (resident)The orca, or killer whale, with its striking black and white colouring, is one of the best known of all the cetaceans. It has been extensively studied in the wild and is often the main attraction at many sea parks and aquaria. An odontocete, or toothed whale, the orca is known for being a carnivorous, fast and skilful hunter, with a complex social structure and a cosmopolitan distribution (orcas are found in all the oceans of the world). Sometimes called “the wolf of the “sea, the orca can be a fierce hunter with well-organized hun ..read more

The humpback whale is one of the rorquals, a family that also includes the blue whale, fin whale, Bryde’s whale, sei whale, and minke whale. Rorquals have two characteristics in common: dorsal fins on their backs, and ventral pleats running from the tip of the lower jaw back to the belly area. The shape and color pattern on the humpback whale’s dorsal fin and flukes (tail) are as individual in each animal as are fingerprints in humans. The discovery of this interesting fact changed the course of cetacean research forever, and the new form of research known as “photo-identification,” in which ..read more

Read the facts about Bryde’s whale or sei whale. Sei (pronounced “say”) and Bryde’s (pronounced “broadus”) whales are so similar that it was not until the early 1900’s that the whalers realized they were hunting two different species. Bryde’s whale is named after Johan Bryde, who initiated the South African whaling station where Bryde’s whales were first described. Field identification between the two species is still difficult until one is close enough to see whether there are three ridges on top of the head (Bryde’s whale) or just one (sei whale). To add to the confusion, some p ..read more

Pygmy sperm whales and their close relatives the dwarf sperm whales have similarities to the great sperm whales after which they are named, but they are classified into a different family. Like the sperm whales, the pygmy sperm whale has teeth in the lower jaw only (the dwarf sperm whale has up to three pairs of teeth in the upper jaw as well). find out about what do Sperm Whales eat?? sperm whaleCLASS: Mammalia ORDER: Cetacea SUBORDER: Odontoceti FAMILY: Kogiidae GENUS: Kogia SPECIES:breviceps sperm whale Physical Description The forward part of the body o ..read more

Find out most important blue whale facts, The blue whale is one of the rorquals, a family that also includes the humpback whale, fin whale, Bryde’s whale, sei whale, and minke whale. On land, an animal the size of a blue whale would be crushed by its own weight without the support of large heavy bones. Because its body is supported by water, as a sea animal, the need for heavy bones to support its weight disappeared. This, plus the availability of large food supply, have made it possible for the blue whale to reach such an enormous size. The blue whale makes deep and rumbling soun ..read more