Whether you’re a massive fan of the whale species or just looking for information on these amazing marine animals, there are several unique and fascinating characteristics that whales possess when compared to fish and other aquatic animals.
Many of the exciting factors that whales possess also apply to the dolphin and porpoise species, as they are also marine mammals and belong to the same cetacean family as the whale species.
We’ve compiled a list of 28 interesting facts you may not know about these amazing marine mammals to give you an idea of just how incredible these animals are.
28 Things you may not know about whales
1) Although whales appear to release water from their blowhole, they are just pushing the surrounding water away from the blowhole. When diving, the whale closes its blowhole using its sphincter muscle to avoid accidentally taking in water, which could cause it to suffocate and potentially drown.
2) Unlike other mammals, whales do not breathe through their mouth. Instead, they breathe exclusively through their blowhole because the oxygen and food passage is entirely separate. This allows the whale to consume food underwater, preventing water from accidentally entering their lungs.
3) As stated earlier, whales belong to the cetacean family, including all dolphin and porpoise species. Several characteristics that make the cetacean family unique include being warm-blooded, giving birth, breathing oxygen, producing milk, and having a vertically moving spine (arching their back and flukes to swim) compared to fish and other aquatic species that move horizontally.
4) There are currently around 40+ known species of whale in existence. If you include the other cetaceans, there are around 40+ known dolphin species and six known porpoise species.
5) Whales can vary significantly in size depending on their species, from the dwarf sperm whale, which grows to an average length of around nine ft. and weighs between 500 – 600 lbs. to the blue whale, which can grow to heights of over 100 ft. (70 – 90 on average) and weigh more than 180 tons (100 – 150 tons on average)!
7) When threatened, certain whale species can accelerate to speeds of up to 30 mph. for short bursts to escape potential attacks or threats.
8) All whale species are classified as toothed or baleen, depending on their physical characteristics. As the name suggests, toothed whales are born with teeth, while baleen whales are born with baleen plates that have bristles attached to them. Toothed whales are also equipped with echolocation and are generally smaller than the baleen whale suborder.
9) Some whales can navigate the ocean in pitch-black water because they use echolocation to detect objects, food, and threats in their environment. Originally thought to only exist in the toothed whale suborder, researchers are now researching whether or not baleen whales possess echolocation abilities.
10) To stay warm in cold/freezing climates, whales are covered in a thick layer of fat ranging from 1 inch to 1 ft. in thickness, depending on the species.
11) The largest known living animal is the blue whale which can grow over 100 ft. long and weigh 180 tons.
12) Although whales can grow quite large, most species have throats too small to swallow a human. Most whales have an esophagus (food passage) that is the size of a beach ball, which is much smaller than a human’s body
13) The smallest known whale is the dwarf sperm whale which can grow to an average size of around nine ft. long.
14) Baleen whales are born with two blowholes, while toothed whales only possess one.
15) Whale poop is extremely important for feeding phytoplankton which removes carbon from the atmosphere.
16) Although whaling was once a highly lucrative business, hunting whales for commercial purposes is now illegal.
17) The history of whale watching (in the US) dates back to 1950 when the Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego was declared a public place to observe gray whales in their natural habitat. Since the end of the whaling era, whale watching has become a billion-dollar annual business.
18) Whales are part of the cetacean species, comprised of whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
19) Because whales are marine mammals, they breathe air, are warm-blooded, produce milk, and bear offspring.
20) All whale species are divided into toothed whales and baleen whales, depending on their characteristics.
21) A blue whale’s heartbeat can be detected over 2 miles away.
22) The largest toothed whale is the sperm whale which can grow to be 67 ft. long and weigh more than 50 tons!
23) When it comes to lifespan and which whales live, the most extended, scientists/researchers have estimated that a healthy bowhead whale can live for as long as 200 years!
24) Blue whales = eat up to 8,000 pounds of krill per day or as much as 40 million krill per day.
25) Due to its long tusk, the narwhal whale is sometimes referred to as the unicorn of the sea.
26) When referring to the father, mother, and child, the male whale is known as the bull, the female is referred to as the cow, and the newborn is named the calf.
27) When threatened or surprised, the dwarf sperm whale is capable of releasing a dark ink-like liquid from its body (just like an octopus) to blind its pursuer so that it can escape.
28) Whales, along with reptiles, remain one of our oldest connections to the history of the dinosaurs, as their earliest ancestors lived more than 50 million years ago.