Whales are fantastic and intelligent creatures that almost seem unreal or alien...
We are blessed to share Planet Earth with Whales, fantastic and intelligent creatures that almost seem unreal or alien. Here are 9 cool facts about whales that will hopefully inspire you to find out more:
1. Whales are the largest mammals in the world
Whale are the largest mammals that exist on the planet. They belong to the Cetacea family, and live only in seawater. The blue whale, whose length can exceed 30 m is the largest animal in the world. It weighs about 125 tons.
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2. Whales breath air
Like humans and dolphins, whales breathe air. They usually rise to the surface every 5-10 minutes and completely replace the air in their lungs by blasting a fountain of air and water through the breathing hole on the top of their head. Some whales can stay underwater up to 45 minutes without a single breath.
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3. Whales like singing
Whales are the only mammals on the planet, except humans, who sing. The shortest whale song lasts 6 minutes and the longest - more than an hour. Female whales sing to baby whales, while males sing only when attracting the female.
4. Blue whales have no teeth
The blue whale has several hundred baleen plates in their mouth. These plates have bristles attached to them, which look like mustache. To eat, a whale opens its mouth and swims towards clams, shrimp or fish.
Photo by Karim Ilya | Site | FB | Instagram
5. A single whale eats a million calories a day
Whales eat nothing for about 8 months within a year. They survive thanks to stored fat. However, in the summer they eat without stopping, absorbing up to three tons of food per day. A whale’s diet consists mainly of algae and small crustaceans, although sometimes they will snack on small fish.
6. Whale Tails are unique
A whale’s tail can be compared to fingerprints of a human. The cuts, grooves, scars and patches of brown algae on the tails of whales create unique patterns.
Photo by Gary Arndt | Site | FB | Instagram
Photo by Gary Arndt | Site | FB | Instagram
7. Whales can sink during sleep
Whales can stay awake for three months if necessary, although they fall asleep only in shallow water. Their weight slightly exceeds the specific weight of the water due to the high content of light adipose tissue in the body. Therefore, whales are slowly going down when sleeping. They hit the ground with their tails and rise to the surface. After a breath, the process is repeated.
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8. Whales’ milk looks like toothpaste
A small whale can reach 9 meters in length at birth. Breast milk from the mother whale contains up to 50% fat, and is rich with protein. Since fat and protein make up half the weight of milk, it is very thick like toothpaste. During the day, a baby whale gets up to 90 liters of milk. Within one and a half years, it can grow up to 20 m in length and gains 45-50 tons of weight.
Photo by Karim Iliya | Site | FB | Instagram
9. Whales cannot eat people
In the old days, there are many legends about how shipwrecked men were swallowed by whales, and spent many months traveling in the stomach of these animals.
In fact, they would not be able to even get through the neck hole. The fact that the blue whales have a baleen plate states they can’t swallow such creatures as humans.
Photo by Shane Cross
