What is the difference between a whale and a fish. What kind of animals are whales? Detachment cetaceans and its representatives

Lives in water and resembles a fish in outline of the body, why then is it not considered a fish?

And because the whale is a marine mammal that descends from earthly ancestors. Over the millennia spent in the water, whales began to resemble fish in shape, but their structure and way of life remained similar to land animals.

For example, the fins of a whale have an internal structure that resembles a hand with five fingers. Some whales even have bones on their bodies in place of their hind legs! But the most important difference between whales and fish is that, like all other mammals, whales feed their young with mother's milk. These cubs do not hatch from eggs or eggs, but are born alive. And for some time after birth, the whale remains close to his mother, who takes care of him.

Since all mammals have warm blood, and the whale does not have fur to warm it in icy water, instead it has blubber, which is a layer of subcutaneous tissue filled with fat and keeping it warm like a fur coat.

And whales breathe differently than fish. Instead of gills, they have lungs into which they draw air through two nostrils located at the top of their head. When whales dive underwater, these nostrils are closed with small valves to keep water out. Every five to ten minutes, the whale rises to the surface of the water to inhale. First of all, he noisily spews exhaust air through his nostrils. As a result of this, the very "fountain" appears, which is always drawn in pictures about whales. Then he draws fresh air into his lungs and dives again to continue moving under water.

What is the biggest whale?

The largest whale is also the largest animal in the world. This is a blue whale - its length can exceed 30 meters, and its weight reaches 125 tons.

It can be found in all seas, but most often it comes across in the Pacific Ocean. It belongs to the group of toothless whales (another group is called toothed whales).

It's hard to imagine that the largest animal in the world can do without teeth. How do they do it? In their mouths they have a device consisting of hundreds of horny plates called a whalebone. They grow on the palate (top of the mouth) and form a sort of sieve.

The blue whale feeds as follows: with its mouth wide open, it quickly swims through an accumulation of prey, which consists mainly of small mollusks, shrimps and fish. Closing the mouth, he forcefully pushes the water out of it. The water is filtered through the whalebone, and the catch remains. The whale's mouth resembles a huge container. And the length of his head is about a third of the length of the body.

Among the toothed whales, the sperm whales are the largest. They have a huge head and reach 20 meters in length. The killer whale, or killer whale (actually a large dolphin), is the only cetacean that feeds on other warm-blooded animals. The killer whale is about 9 meters long and easily overtakes seals. Packs of killer whales attack even large whales.

Because whales live in water and have a fish-like body, we often compare them to fish. But in the structure of the skeleton, the circulatory system and the brain, they are not at all like fish.

What can you get from whales?

At one time, whaling was very important. Now, for most of us, the very idea of whale hunting may seem a little strange. What use can we get from these enormous creatures?

But it turns out that the amount of valuable products obtained as a result of hunting whales is quite large. Thus, whale blubber (fat-containing subcutaneous tissue) produces excellent fat. This grease is used for lighting fixtures and it is also used in soap making.

Many whales have delicious meat. Fertilizers are made from their bones. Spermaceti is obtained from sperm whales - or fat, which is located in the head cavity. Spermaceti is used to make ointments, cosmetics, and suppositories.

Ambergris is also obtained from sperm whales, a very valuable substance produced in their intestines, which is used in the manufacture of perfumes. The teeth of the sperm whale and the tusk of the narwhal are very valuable bones, comparable to ivory. And from the skin of a white whale they produce something like skin.

Did you know that all cetaceans are mammals? Their ancestors once lived on land. They still have fins like five-fingered hands. But for many millennia living in the water, they have adapted to such a life.

A whale is a marine animal of the chordate type, of the mammalian class, of the order cetaceans (Cetacea). The whale got its modern name, consonant in many languages, from the Greek word kitoc, literally meaning "sea monster".

Anatomically, the whale has teeth, but in some species they are in an undeveloped state. In toothless baleen whales, the teeth are replaced by bony plates, called the whalebone, and adapted for filtering food.

And only representatives of toothed whales grow the same conical teeth.

The spine of a whale can contain from 41 to 98 vertebrae, and thanks to the spongy structure of the skeleton, elastic intervertebral discs give the animal's body special maneuverability and flexibility.

The cervical intercept is absent, and the head smoothly passes into the body, which narrows noticeably towards the tail. The pectoral fins of the whale have been modified to become fins that perform the function of steering, turning, and braking. The tail section of the trunk is flexible and muscular, has a slightly flattened shape and serves as a motor. At the end of the tail, there are blades with a horizontal arrangement.

Most whale species have an unpaired dorsal fin that acts as a stabilizer when moving in the water column.

The skin of the whale is smooth, hairless, only on the muzzle of baleen whales single hairs and bristles grow, similar to the vibrissae of land animals.

The color of the whale is monochromatic, spotted, or anti-shade, when the top of the animal is dark and the bottom is light. In some species, the color of the body changes with age.

Due to the absence of olfactory nerves, the sense of smell in whales is almost completely lost. Taste receptors are poorly developed, therefore, unlike other mammals, whales distinguish only a salty taste. Eyesight in whales is poor, most of these animals are myopic, but they have conjunctive glands that are absent in other animals.

In terms of whale hearing, the intricate anatomy of the inner ear allows whales to distinguish between sounds ranging from 150 Hz to the lowest ultrasonic frequencies. And due to the richly innervated skin, all whales are distinguished by an excellent sense of touch.

Whales communicate with each other. The absence of vocal cords does not prevent whales from talking and making special sounds using echolocation equipment. The concave bones of the skull, together with the fatty layer, act as a sound lens and reflector, directing a beam of ultrasonic signals in the right direction.

Most whales are quite slow, but if necessary, the speed of a whale can be 20-40 km / h.

The life expectancy of small whales is about 30 years, large whales live up to 50 years.

Where do whales live?

Whales are found in all oceans. Most species of whales are gregarious animals and prefer to live in groups of tens or even thousands of individuals. Some species are subject to constant seasonal migrations: In winter, whales swim into warm waters where childbirth takes place, and in summer they fatten in temperate and high latitudes.

What does a whale eat?

Most whales feed on a certain kind stern:

planktophages eat only plankton;
teutophages prefer to use cephalopods;
ichthyophages eat only live fish;
saprophages (detritus feeders) use decomposed organic matter.

And only one animal from the order of cetaceans, the killer whale, eats not only fish, but also pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, penguins), as well as other whales, dolphins and their cubs.

Killer whale swims after the penguin

Types of whales with photos and names.

The modern classification divides the cetacean order into 2 main suborders:

toothless or mustachioed whales (Mysticeti);
toothed whales (Odontoceti), which include dolphins, killer whales, sperm whales and porpoises.

The order of cetaceans forms 38 genera, in which more than 80 known species are united. Among this variety, several varieties can be distinguished:

he is humpback or long-armed minke(Megaptera novaeangliae)

got its name from the convex fin on the back that resembles a hump. The body length of a whale reaches 14.5 meters, in some specimens - 18 meters. Average weight humpback whale is 30 tons. The humpback is distinguished from other representatives of the family of minke with a shortened body, a variety of colors and several rows of warty leathery protrusions on the crown of the head. Humpback whales are found throughout the oceans, except for the Arctic and Antarctic. Representatives of the North Atlantic population feed exclusively on fish: capelin, navaga, pollock, sardines, herring, haddock. The rest of the whales eat small crustaceans, various molluscs and small schooling fish.

Gray whale (California whale) (Eschrichtius robustus, Eschrichtius gibbosus)

the only species of whale of its kind practicing eating food from the bottom of the ocean: the animal plows the silt with a special outgrowth in the form of a keel, located under the lower jaw. The food base of the gray whale is made up of many organisms living on the bottom: annelids, snails, bivalves and other molluscs, various-legged crayfish, egg capsules and sea sponges, as well as small fish species. Gray whales in adulthood have a body length of up to 12-15 m, the average weight of a whale varies from 15 to 35 tons, and the females are larger than the males. The body is brown-gray or dark brown, reminiscent of rocky shores in color. This species of whale lives in the Okhotsk, Chukchi and Bering Seas; in winter it migrates to the Gulf of California and to the southern shores of Japan. Gray whales are the record holders among animals for the duration of migrations - the distance covered by animals can reach 12 thousand km.

Bowhead whale (polar whale) (Balaena mysticetus)

long-liver among mammals. Average age the polar whale is 40 years old, but the well-known scientifically substantiated fact of longevity is 211 years. They are a unique species of baleen whales that spend their entire lives in the cold waters of the Northern Hemisphere, often making their way like an icebreaker. The whale fountain rises up to 6 m in height. The body length of mature females reaches 20-22 meters, males - 18 meters. The weight of the whale is from 75 to 150 tons. The skin color of the animal is usually gray or dark blue. The belly and neck are lighter in color. An adult bowhead whale consumes almost 2 tons of various foods every day, consisting of plankton (crustaceans and pteropods).

Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)

the largest representative of toothed whales, and the females are much smaller than the males and have a body length of no more than 15 meters. The male whale grows up to 20 meters in length. The maximum weight of females reaches 20 tons, males - 50 tons. Sperm whales have such a characteristic appearance that they cannot be confused with other cetaceans. The giant head makes up over 35% of the body's length, and when viewed from the side, the muzzle of the sperm whale looks like a slightly oblique rectangle. In the notch at the bottom of the head, there is a mouth seated with 20-26 pairs of cone-shaped teeth. The weight of 1 whale tooth reaches 1 kilogram. The wrinkled skin of the sperm whale often has a dark gray color with a blue tint, although there are dark brown and even black individuals. As a predator, the sperm whale hunts squid, cuttlefish, large fish (including some species of sharks), and also swallows everything in the ocean: empty bottles, rubber boots, toys, skeins of wire. Sperm whales live throughout the oceans, but they are more common in tropical waters than in cool ones. Most of the population is distributed off the coast of the Black Continent and the east coast of Asia.

(Balaenoptera physalus)

the second largest animal on the planet. The length of an adult whale is 24-27 m, but due to its slender build, the whale weighs only 40-70 tons. A distinctive feature of fin whales is the asymmetric coloration of the muzzle: the right part of the lower jaw is white, and the left is dark. Small crustaceans form the basis of the whale's diet. Fin whales live in all oceans: in winter they inhabit the waters of temperate zones, and in the warm season they swim into the waters of the Arctic and Antarctic.

Blue whale (blue whale, vomited)(Balaenoptera musculus)

not only the largest whale in the world, but also the largest animal on our planet. The length of the blue whale can reach 33 meters, and the weight of the blue whale reaches 150 tons. This animal has a relatively slender build and a narrow muzzle. The color of the body within the species is monotonous: most individuals are gray with a blue tint and gray spots scattered throughout the body, making the skin of the animal appear marbled. The blue whale feeds mostly on plankton and inhabits the entire World Ocean.

Pygmy whale (pygmy smooth whale, short-headed smooth whale)(Caperea marginata)

the smallest species of the suborder of baleen whales. The body of an adult does not exceed 4-6 m in length, and the body weight of a whale barely reaches 3-3.5 tons. Skin color - gray with dark spots, sometimes black. Differs in undulating way of movement unusual for whales, feeds on plankton. The pygmy whale is one of the rarest and least abundant whale species, found mainly in the waters of southern Australia and New Zealand.

Breeding whales

Most of the whales are monogamous, and breed once every 2 years. Whales reach the reproductive capacity by 3-5 years, but physically mature only at the age of 12 years. The mating season is greatly extended in time, because the males are ready to mate for almost a whole year. Depending on the species, the pregnancy of a female whale lasts from 7 to 18 months. Non-migrating whales give birth in summer, while the rest swim away into warm waters and bring offspring there.

Childbirth takes place in the water column, one cub is born, and it always goes tail first. A newborn whale weighs 2-3 tons, and its length is a quarter or even half the length of a female.

A cub of a whale can immediately move independently, but it keeps close to its mother, in whom the maternal instinct prevails above others.

Whales feed their young underwater. Whale milk is extremely thick and high-calorie, with a fat content of up to 54%, and does not spread in water. The mother feeds the cub for an average of 4-7 months (sperm whales up to 13 months). Cubs grow rapidly and, upon completion of breastfeeding, increase in size to half their original length. All this time, males of most whale species stay nearby and do not leave the family under any circumstances.

What is the difference between a whale and a sperm whale?

The sperm whale is a species of whale. It has its own specific characteristics:

The head of a sperm whale with a huge square forehead occupies from 1/4 to 1/3 of the body length. The head of other whales is relatively small: from 1/5 to 1/9 of the body length. The exception is some representatives of baleen whales, such as the bowhead whale and the southern whale, whose head and body sizes are in the same proportion as those of sperm whales.
The whale's nostrils are pulled back and up. They can be paired (in baleen whales) or unpaired (one nostril) (in toothed whales). In the sperm whale, the nostrils are located asymmetrically and shifted forward, with one of them performing the respiratory function, and with the help of the other, it makes sounds.
The sperm whale belongs to the suborder toothed whales, and its jaws are armed with numerous tapered teeth. Mammals of the suborder of baleen whales have horn plates instead of teeth that replace their teeth and are called a whalebone.
In sperm whales, a huge spermaceous organ is located in the head, filled with a fatty substance (spermaceti), which solidifies at a low temperature. It is assumed that this organ helps the animal to dive and rise to the surface. Unlike the sperm whale, other whales do not have such an organ.
Another difference is the dorsal fin. In whales, it is solitary. In sperm whales, it has an unusual structure for other whales - a small ridge, followed by several of the same, only smaller ones.
The sperm whale is capable of diving to a depth of 3000 m, which is much more than other whales. It stays under water longer than not only other cetaceans, but also all living creatures on the planet that breathe atmospheric air.
The sperm whale, like other toothed whales, feeds mainly on cephalopods, in particular, squid and, in smaller quantities, fish, including deep-sea fish, grabbing them with their jaws. Baleen whales feed on plankton, small fish and other small vertebrates, filtering them out of the water through the whalebone.
Pregnancy of sperm whales is longer than that of other cetaceans, and lasts 16-18 months.
All whales feed their cubs underwater. After a certain interval of time, babies capture the mother's nipple for a few seconds. In this case, the cubs of all whales hold it between the tongue and the top of the sky, and the cub of the sperm whale holds it in the corner of the mouth.
Sperm whales emit echolocation signals: clicks, crackles and creaks. Baleen whales, in which echolocation is not developed or is in its infancy, can make various sounds. For example, growling, roaring, moaning, purring can be emitted by a bowhead whale; humpback songs are similar to the sounds of wind instruments; the groans of the fin whale are reminiscent of the sound of a flute from high to low tones. Many representatives of toothed whales make the same sounds as sperm whales, but at the same time they can whistle, roar, and killer whales can also scream like March cats.
Whales swim faster than sperm whales, reaching speeds of over 50 km / h. Maximum speed sperm whales rarely exceed 37 km / h, and generally do not exceed 10 km / h.

What is the difference between a killer whale and a whale?

The killer whale, like whales, belongs to the cetacean order, but it has certain characteristics:

Killer whales differ from other whales by their high dorsal fin, reaching 1m in height. Moreover, in males, the fin is higher than that of females.
In killer whales, in contrast to other whales, the head shortens with age, and the tail section lengthens, that is, the tail grows faster than the head.
Whales feed on plankton, small vertebrates, fish, and cephalopods. Killer whales, which also eat fish and shellfish at a young age, later become real predators attacking warm-blooded animals. They eat sea lions, sea lions, elephant seals, porpoises, seals, walruses and even their cousins - cetaceans. They swallow small prey whole, and large prey in large chunks.
Whales are rather melancholic and slow animals. These sometimes hulking sea giants are ready to filter the water for hours, harvesting krill from it. The killer whale is a swift and very active predator, dexterously hunting prey swimming nearby.
Killer whales are characterized by strong affection for each other and for their cubs, their flock is difficult to separate. Many other whales are solitary or congregate in small groups of 3-4 individuals.

For a long time, whales have been of great economic importance for humans. The bones and fat from the subcutaneous layers of the whale were boiled down to obtain fat, which was used in the production of margarine, glycerin and used in the soap industry.
Spermaceti extracted from the head of sperm whales is included in cosmetics, including decorative lipstick and various creams. Before the invention of polymers, corsets for women's dresses and springs for upholstered furniture were made from whalebone.
Insulin and other drugs are produced from the secretions of the whales' pancreas. Ambergris, found in the intestines of the sperm whale, is widely used in perfumery as a fragrance stabilizer.
Uncontrolled whaling has inevitably led to the near extinction of many whale populations. Today, most of the species are listed in the International Red Book, and commercial whale hunting is prohibited by the laws of most civilized countries.

If a whale lives in water and resembles a fish in outline of its body, then why is it not considered a fish?

Why does a whale have a fountain?

Whales are not fish, they are mammals. They are warm-blooded creatures, their babies are born live, and do not hatch from eggs. Little whales feed on their mother's milk, just like other mammals.

But the ancestors of whales, like all other mammals, lived on earth. Therefore, the whales had to adapt to the living conditions in the water. This means that over millions of years, changes have occurred in their organisms that made it possible for them to live in a different environment.

Since whales do not have gills, they breathe with the lungs, and their respiratory system has undergone the most changes in the process of evolution. Previously, their nostrils were on the front of the head, then they gradually moved upward. They now form one or two breathing holes, which make it easier to get oxygen at the surface of the water.

Under water, the breathing holes are closed by two small valves, and since the air passage is not connected to the mouth, there is no danger of water entering the lungs.

Whales usually rise to the surface to get some air every 5-10 minutes, but sometimes they can stay underwater for 45 minutes! Having emerged to the surface of the water, the whale immediately releases used air from its lungs. When he does this, a loud noise is heard, which can be heard at a considerable distance. And what does the whale fountain consist of? This is not water, but simply exhaust air and water vapor.

To completely change the air in the lungs, the whale fires a fountain several times, after which it plunges deeply into the water. Some whales are famous for diving 600 meters! Sometimes big whales raise their tail above the water or even jump into the air, completely breaking away from the surface of the water!

Whales are the largest animals on our planet. The largest representative of cetaceans is the blue whale, its body length can reach 33 meters, and its weight is 120 tons. Outwardly, whales are very similar to fish, but they are not fish, but mammals that live in the water. It is believed that the ancestors of whales were terrestrial animals from the artiodactyl order, which switched to an aquatic lifestyle about 50 million years ago.

Since whales are mammals, they are characterized by the main features of all animals - they are warm-blooded, that is, they have a constant body temperature, breathe atmospheric air with the help of their lungs and feed their young with milk.

Whales have smooth, hairless skin. This body surface provides whales with better glide in water. Under the skin, whales have a thick layer of fat that prevents whales from freezing in cold water... The head of the whales is large - in the blue whale, its length reaches almost a third of the entire length of the body. The eyes are very small, there are no auricles, but whales are not deaf - behind their eyes they have small auditory holes leading to the eardrum. Acute hearing is important for whales, as it allows them to navigate well in the water.

Whales belong to the order cetaceans. In this order, three suborders are distinguished - toothed whales, baleen whales and ancient whales (ancient whales are completely extinct).

Spreading

Whales live in all oceans and some seas. Some whales prefer the cold waters of the polar seas (bowhead whales), others are more thermophilic, and there are some that can live in both cold and warm waters (sperm whales and killer whales).

Nutrition

Whales have different feeding methods and depend on which suborder the whale belongs to - toothed or toothed.

Toothed whales have sharp teeth that allow them to successfully hunt large squid and large fish. The killer whale can hunt not only fish, but also seals, birds and other marine life.

Baleen whales have no teeth, but there are special whiskers located on the upper jaw. Through these special plates, whales filter water and extract plankton from it - small crustaceans, which are the main source of food for baleen whales. Some baleen whales feed on small schooling fish, filtering it out of the water, like plankton.

Lifestyle

A female whale usually gives birth to one calf every two years. He is well developed and can swim straight away. For the first few months, the kitten feeds on mother's milk and grows very quickly. A female whale's milk is thick and nutritious, its fat content reaches 54%.

An adult whale is considered to be about three years old, but its body can grow in size up to about 12 years old.

Brief information about whales.

The whale is a sea monster. In the truest sense of the word. After all, this is how the Greek word is translated, from which the name of this amazing animal comes - κῆτος. Much can be said about marine life belonging to the order of cetaceans. But it is worth dwelling on the most interesting facts.

Name

The first step is to answer a question that worries many. And it sounds like this: "Is the whale a fish or a mammal?" The second of the proposed options is correct.

The whale is a large marine mammal that has nothing to do with porpoises or dolphins. Although they are included in the order Cetacea (cetaceans). In general, a very interesting situation turns out with the names. Grindas and killer whales, for example, are considered whales. Although, in accordance with the strict official classification, they are dolphins, which few people know about.

And trusting is better than a strict classification, since whales in the old days were called leviathans - many-headed sea monsters that could devour the planet. In a word, the title has an interesting story.

Origin

Well, above was the answer to the question "Is a whale a fish or a mammal?" Now we can talk about the types of these creatures.

For starters, it should be noted that all whales are descendants of land mammals. And those who belonged to the groups of artiodactyls! This is not fiction, but a scientifically proven fact that was established after molecular genetic examinations. There is even a monophyletic group (clade) that unites whales, hippos and all artiodactyls. All of them are cetopods. If you believe the research, then whales and hippos descended from the same creature that lived on our planet about 54 million years ago.

Detachments

So, now - about the types of whales. Or rather, about suborders. The first species is baleen whales. They are the largest modern mammals. Their physiological feature is a mustache with a filter-like structure.

The second species is toothed whales. Carnivorous, fast creatures. They are superior to toothless whales. In size, only the sperm whale can compare with them. And their feature, as you might have guessed, is the presence of teeth.

And the third type is ancient whales. Those that no longer exist. They belong to the paraphyletic group of animals, from which they later descended modern species whales.

Anatomical features

Now it is worth considering the description of the whale from a physiological point of view. This animal is a mammal, and it is warm-blooded. Accordingly, each whale breathes with the help of its lungs, and their young females are fed with milk. And these creatures have hair, albeit reduced.

Because these mammals are exposed to the sun, their skin is protected from ultraviolet rays. True, in each species it is expressed in different ways. A blue whale, for example, can increase the content of special pigments in its skin that absorb radiation (in simple terms, it "tans"). The sperm whale defends itself against oxygen radicals by triggering a "stress response." Finwhal practices both methods.

By the way, these creatures maintain their warm-bloodedness due to the presence of a thick fat layer under the skin. It is he who protects the internal organs of marine animals from hypothermia.

Oxygen absorption process

It is also interesting to talk about how whales breathe. These mammals can stay under water for at least 2 minutes and maximum 40. True, there is a record holder, and he is a sperm whale, which is able to stay under water for 1.5 hours.

The outer nostrils of these creatures are at the top of the head. They have special valves that reflexively close the airways when the whale is immersed in water. At the moment they emerge, they open. It is important to know that the airway does not connect to the esophagus. So the whale absorbs air safely, without harm to itself. Even if there is water in his mouth. And by the way, speaking about how whales breathe, it is worth noting that they do it quickly. The shortened bronchi and trachea contribute to the speed. By the way, their lungs are very powerful. In one breath, the whale renews the air by 90%. And a person - only 15%.

It is worth noting that a column of condensed vapor comes out through the nostrils (also called the blowhole) at the moment of emerging. The very fountain that is the hallmark of whales. This is due to the fact that the whale exhales warm air that comes into contact with the outside (cold). So the fountain is the result of temperature exposure. The vapor column differs in height and shape in different whales. The most impressive are the "fountains" of large mammals. They come out of their breathing apparatus with such tremendous power that the process is accompanied by a loud trumpet sound. In fine weather it can be heard from the shore.

Food

A few words should be told about what whales eat. The diet of animals is varied. Toothed whales, for example, consume fish, cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish) and, in some cases, mammals.

Mustached representatives feed on plankton. They absorb a huge volume of crustaceans, filtering it out of the water or with the help of a mustache. These animals can also feed on small fish.

The most interesting thing is that whales hardly eat in winter. And for this reason, in the summer, they continuously consume food. This approach helps them accumulate a thick layer of fat.

By the way, they need a lot of food. Large whales consume about three tons of food per day.

A bright representative

The blue whale deserves special attention. This is the largest animal that ever existed on our planet. It reaches 33 meters in length and weighs about 150 tons.

By the way, the blue whale is a representative of the baleen suborder. It feeds on plankton. He has a well-developed filtering apparatus, due to which he filters the absorbed mass inward.

There are three subspecies of this animal. There are pygmy, southern and northern whales. The last two live in cold circular polar waters. Dwarf is found in tropical seas.

It is believed that blue whales live for about 110 years. In any case, so much was the most adult individual that people met.

Unfortunately, the blue whale is not a very common marine life. In the XX century, uncontrolled hunting was opened on these animals. By the middle of the last century, only 5 thousand individuals remained in the whole world. People have done a terrible thing by exterminating them. Emergency protective measures were taken. At the moment, the number of individuals has doubled, but blue whales are still at risk.

Belukha

This is a representative of the toothed whales of the narwhal family. Beluga whales are not very large. Its mass reaches only 2 tons, and its length is 6 meters. Beluga whales have excellent hearing, keen perception of any sounds, and the ability to echolocate. In addition, these are social creatures - there are cases in which these whales saved a person. In aquariums, they get along well, over time they get used to people, and even become attached to the workers.

Their diet is varied. Beluga whales eat cod, flounder, herring, molluscs, seaweed, shrimps, lampreys, rib jellyfish, pink salmon, gobies, blend dogs, crayfish and many other marine life that are good for food.

These creatures, like many others, also suffered from human cruelty. Whalers easily drove them to the shallows, and beluga whales literally crashed. But at the moment this species is gradually recovering its numbers. It remains to be hoped that people will not spoil anything.

There are dozens of other representatives of cetaceans, and all are special and interesting in their own way. And I would like to hope that every species that we know will survive. The sea world should not lose any of them, since each of them is a real miracle and natural value.