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  • Essay / Whale species and their lives

    Table of contentsWhaleCollective bubble net feedingHow to help and protect whalesWhales are mammals that live in the water. There are 88 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises, called here “cetaceans” [si-tey-shuh n] which means marine mammal. There are two types of whales: baleen and toothed. Baleen whales are whales that have no teeth but a sort of sieve that hangs from the top of their mouth. It lets water through but traps tasty things like krill and other small shrimp like fish. Toothed whales are whales that, instead of baleen, have teeth. Whales also have a unique and different detective, no two are the same, just like fingerprints. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The largest whale is the blue whale, it can measure up to 30 m in length and weighs 180 tonnes (180,000 kg). WOW! The average age of killer whales is around 29 years, humpback whales 45 to 50 years, sperm whales 60 to 70 years, but the blue whale can live 80 to 110 years! This is great considering the average human is about 82 years old. What could you do in 90 minutes? Well, the sperm whale stays underwater for 90 minutes, but for other whales it's too long, other whales can only stay underwater for 19-20 minutes. They can also dive up to 1,000 feet (304.8 m). OMG, it's far! Whaling The industrial practice of hunting and killing whales for their oil, meat, or whale bones. Before whaling was banned in most parts of the world, three species of whales were hunted to extinction. Blue whales were listed as protected species in 1966 and then added to the endangered species list in 1986. Since then, blue whales have grown significantly. Scientists say there are between 10,000 and 25,000 left in the wild today. Humpback whales were also on the endangered species list, with only 1,500 individuals. Humpback whales have slowly increased to around 15,000, meaning they are still endangered. The most endangered species of whale is the North Atlantic right whale, there were only 500 of them left, before the ban these whales also mature very slowly and only give birth every 3.-5 years. Countries like Japan, Norway and Iceland have not yet stopped hunting whales, they kill 1,500 per year. Whaling was banned in late 1986. Feeding Whales can eat up to 1.5 tonnes (1,500 kg), the equivalent of 8,000 cheeseburgers. Whale food can vary depending on the type of whale, baleen or toothed. Baleen whales eat things like: Small fish Shrimp Plankton Crab Krill Toothed whales eat things like: Squid Sea lion Walrus Earless seal Seabird Shark Most whales feed individually, but they can sometimes also use teamwork to get their food, like group feeding by bubble net.Group feeding by bubble netGroup feeding by bubble net is a feeding technique, whales like to use it to catch small fish. Collective bubble net feeding begins with a synchronized dive, some whales pass under the school of fish to be able to bring them to the surface. Next, bubble specialists blow a large wall of bubbles surrounding the fish like a net. Then, the designated vocalizer.