Whales migrate over very long distances yearly especially the Baleen whale that migrate in groups which are also known as pods from the cold water where they are known to feed to warm water which they use as breeding grounds.
These mammals have very strong social bonds especially between a mother and her calf. The Baleen whale will at times travel alone or within a small pod where as the toothed whale will travel in large pods this is because the toothed mammals hunt as a group and migrate as a group. The young calves are taken care of by the group as well.
The whale gives birth to live young unlike most fish which lay eggs. The females like land mammals have mammary glands from which the calves suckle. These creatures breed in warm waters which are seasonal and the females usually have a single calf every one to three years. The female carries her young for nine months and some carry for eighteen months this varies from species to species.
The minute a calf is born it is able to swim and the mother takes care of the calf for around a year continuously feeding them with milk and the mother is also very protective over her calf. These mammals have a very unique communication system which is called whale song and can be heard for kilometres under the water.
For instance the humpback whale song can last for half an hour and the Baleen sings low frequency songs while the toothed mammals click and whistle which are also used for echolocation. These sounds are used for attracting mates as well as being territorial and the tooth species locate prey by clicking.
Whales use their teeth as a defence mechanism whereby they kill their prey and protect themselves. There is cooperative hunting between the toothed species in that they catch and kill. The killer whale is fully capable of killing a juvenile blue whale. A method known as bubble net feeding allows the humpbacks to catch a huge amount of tiny fish when feeding.
These mammals have very strong social bonds especially between a mother and her calf. The Baleen whale will at times travel alone or within a small pod where as the toothed whale will travel in large pods this is because the toothed mammals hunt as a group and migrate as a group. The young calves are taken care of by the group as well.
The whale gives birth to live young unlike most fish which lay eggs. The females like land mammals have mammary glands from which the calves suckle. These creatures breed in warm waters which are seasonal and the females usually have a single calf every one to three years. The female carries her young for nine months and some carry for eighteen months this varies from species to species.
The minute a calf is born it is able to swim and the mother takes care of the calf for around a year continuously feeding them with milk and the mother is also very protective over her calf. These mammals have a very unique communication system which is called whale song and can be heard for kilometres under the water.
For instance the humpback whale song can last for half an hour and the Baleen sings low frequency songs while the toothed mammals click and whistle which are also used for echolocation. These sounds are used for attracting mates as well as being territorial and the tooth species locate prey by clicking.
Whales use their teeth as a defence mechanism whereby they kill their prey and protect themselves. There is cooperative hunting between the toothed species in that they catch and kill. The killer whale is fully capable of killing a juvenile blue whale. A method known as bubble net feeding allows the humpbacks to catch a huge amount of tiny fish when feeding.
About the Author:
Studying whales has always Peter van Diem passion for as long as he can remember and has always pondered about the whales mating rituals.
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