17 Whale Facts: Fascinating Creatures of the Deep Ocean

Whales are fascinating creatures with many interesting facts. They are mammals that breathe oxygen, give birth to their young, drink milk, and have hair at some point.

Expanding our knowledge about whales to protect these magnificent mammals is important. Joining a trip to see whales is a great way to connect with them and learn more about them.

Fascinating Whale Facts:

👉 The Magnificent Blue Whale: The Largest Mammal on Earth:

The blue whale is known to be the largest mammal on earth, weighing over 150 tons and extending to lengths over 100 feet, even bigger than the largest dinosaurs. The heaviest blue whale weighed over 418,878 pounds. 

Their hearts are the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, their arteries the size of a dinner plate, and their tongue weighs as much as an elephant.

They consume 100-150 gallons of rich, fat milk per day. Sadly, they are on the endangered species list, with only 25,000 left. Blue whale season runs from May to October in Dana Point, California.

👉 The Secret of Blue Whale’s Color:

Blue whales are not blue in color but appear blue due to the thousands of tiny diatoms on their skin, which create a beautiful blue glow in the water around them. 

In certain environments, diatoms or planktonic photosynthesizers can build up on their stomachs, making their undersides yellowish. Only 1% of people have the opportunity to see a blue whale, but in Dana Point, California, you can see them all summer long.

👉 The Efficient Lung Capacity of Whales:

Whale facts that interest researchers include their efficient use of lung capacity, as some whales, like the sperm whale, can hold their breath for up to 90 minutes while diving deep for squid. 

The presence of two blowholes helps larger whales maximize their use of oxygen, reducing their heart rate and slowing their breath, allowing them to exhale more efficiently and use 90% of their total lung capacity while underwater.

This makes them extremely efficient while diving and searching for food in the vast ocean.

👉 The Incredible Migration of Gray Whales: A Journey of 14,000 Miles:

Gray whales, also known as Eschrichtius robustus, migrate from the Bering Sea down to Baja, Mexico, every year from late autumn through spring. 

These amazing creatures travel over 14,000 miles round trip and do not feed during their journey, relying only on their body fat or blubber to fuel their migration.

Gray whales are a common sight in Dana Point, California, during this time of year and are an incredible example of the resilience and endurance of these magnificent creatures.

👉 Sperm Whales: The Biggest Brains on Earth:

The sperm whale, which is the largest toothed whale, has the biggest brain on the planet.

Though the blue whale is the longest and heaviest animal, the sperm whale’s brain, which is about five times larger than a human brain, holds the record for the largest brain size. 

Their intelligence remains partially unknown due to their elusive behaviors that limit our understanding of these amazing creatures.

👉 Humpback Whales: The Singing Giants of the Ocean:

Whale communication involves the use of sound, and while toothed whales use clicks and whistles, baleen whales use moans, grunts, and groans.

Their low-frequency calls can travel long distances with minimal distortion, making them effective communication. 

Humpback whales are known for their beautiful songs, with males singing for hours and some songs lasting up to 10 minutes on repeat.

Blue whales have some of the longest voices, with their low-frequency moans being audible up to 500 miles away by other blue whales.

👉 The Loudest Animals on Earth: Sperm Whales:

Sperm whales are the loudest animals on earth, emitting sounds louder than a jet plane engine taking off.

Their sounds can reach up to 230 dB, which can potentially cause harm to humans by blowing out eardrums or even causing vibrations that can lead to death if heard near. 

Interestingly, their loudness helps them stun giant squids, which can be up to 40 feet long, making it easier for them to catch their prey. This is one of the top whale facts that many people find fascinating.

👉 Witnessing the Massive Bodies of Whales in Midair:

Including breaching in the list of whale facts is a no-brainer, as it is a mind-blowing and athletic display of whales and dolphins jumping completely out of the water.

Although not every whale can pull off this behavior, humpback whales are considered the most acrobatic and can launch their 60,000-pound massive bodies out of the water, leaving passengers completely awestruck. 

Breaching is a frequently asked question by passengers. It is a behavior seen in whales ranging from 12,000 to 400,000 pounds, depending on the species, in Dana Point, California, the Whale Watching Capital of the World.

👉 From Krill to Baleen: Exploring Whale Diets:

Whales use baleen, a series of keratin plates, to filter small prey like krill and small fish, as they do not chew their food.

Rorqual whales, one of the largest creatures on earth, rely heavily on baleen, which varies in size and shape among different whale species. 

Baleen also exhibits unique coloring in some whale species, such as fin whales, with black baleen on the right side and cream on the left.

These whale facts demonstrate the remarkable complexity and diversity of these marine mammals.

👉 Whales in Mythology: Exploring the Ancient Greek Beliefs:

The group of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises is called the infraorder Cetacea.

“Cetacea” originates from the word “keto,” which refers to the goddess of sea monsters in Greek mythology.

 Interestingly, the ancient Greeks believed that whales were sea monsters and thought that the cresting backs of a group of whales were part of a giant sea serpent.

👉 The Surprising Herbivorous Ancestry of Whales:

According to experts, whales evolved from herbivorous ancestors and shared a common ancestor with artiodactyls such as cows and deer.

The hippo is the closest living relative to whales, but their ancestors were four-legged animals, including the ambulocetus or “walking whale.” 

Despite being carnivores today, their common ancestor was an herbivore, similar to ruminant animals that chew their cud. 

👉 The Unique Feeding Habits of Toothed Whales:

Some toothed whales utilize a unique feeding method in which they create a vacuum to suck up their prey instead of using their teeth to capture it.

For example, sperm whales only have teeth on their bottom jaw, making it difficult to grab food. 

To compensate, they use a bone in their throat called the hyoid to depress and create negative pressure in their mouth, allowing them to suck in their prey and water. This food is then swallowed after the water is squeezed out.

👉 Seasonal Eating: Why Whales Fast for Half the Year:

Despite their massive size and reliance on small prey like krill, whales do not eat year-round. In fact, they go through periods of fasting that last up to half of the year. During the colder months, they feed heavily in the nutrient-rich waters near the poles. 

However, when they migrate towards the equator for mating, they do not eat at all due to the lack of food in the nutrient-poor waters.

While these waters lack nutrients and krill, they are also free of many potential predators, making them an ideal location for whales to mate and give birth.

👉 The Shape of a Whale’s Spout Can Tell You its Specie:

The shape of the vapor expelled from a whale’s blowhole can be used to identify the species of the whale. When a whale spouts at the surface, it is not water from the ocean but condensed air from its lungs being expelled. 

This process is similar to a human sneeze in that it is sudden and under high pressure. The high pressure of the spout causes any fluid in the vapor to become droplets, which contributes to the unique shape of the vapor that can be used to identify the whale species.

👉 The Significance of the Pelvis in Whales:

Although whales no longer have legs, they still possess a pelvis, which serves a functional purpose rather than being solely a vestige from their past as land-dwelling creatures.

The pelvis of whales consists of two small bones that are not attached to the spine but still support the belly muscles.

 In males, the pelvis also serves a crucial role as an anchor for the penis. Despite its reduced size and floating state, the pelvis of whales remains a significant part of their skeletal structure.

👉 The Role of Heavy Bones and Air Reserves in Whales:

Whale skeletons are comparatively weightier than those of their terrestrial counterparts. To offset the buoyancy provided by their blubber, which could otherwise cause them to float on the water’s surface, whales have developed dense bones to achieve neutral buoyancy.

 Additionally, whales regulate their position in the water column by adjusting the volume of air stored in a supplementary sac beneath their larynx.

This air reserve also facilitates vocalization without the need for exhaling. By recycling the same air multiple times past their vocal folds, whales conserve energy and remain submerged for longer before surfacing to breathe.

👉 Whale Poop and Iron-Rich Krill: Exploring the Strange World of Marine Ecosystems:

As we near the end of our list of interesting whale facts, we cannot forget to mention one of the more peculiar ones – the color of whale poop.

Rorqual whales, which primarily feed on krill, a small crustacean, excrete red feces due to the high iron content in their diet.

 Since blue whales consume a massive amount of krill daily, they can excrete up to 55 gallons or 200 liters of feces in one bowel movement. While this may seem gross, it’s also a fascinating aspect of whale biology.

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