The World of Whales

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The World of Whales
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Introduction

• Today we are going to learn facts about whales
• Has anyone here seen a whale? (Perhaps at deep
  sea world)

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Points to talk about.

• What is a whale?
• Features of a whale.
• How big are whales?
• What do whales eat?
• Where do whales live?
• Why do whales migrate?
• How do whales find their way?

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What is a whale?

• Whales are a group of mammals that live in the
  sea.
• Some whales are among the largest living
  creatures on earth.
• They give birth to live young.
• They have smooth covered bodies with skin.
• They swim by moving their tails up and down.

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Features of a whale.

• Whales breath through a nostril called a
  blowhole.
• Whales have flippers which are used for steering.
• The tail has two points called flukes.
• Most whales have a dorsal fin which stops the
  whale from rolling over.
• Whales have fat under their skin called blubber
  which keep them warm.

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How big are whales?

• Whales come in many different sizes.
• The sperm whale can grow to 15 metres long.
• The blue whale can grow to 30 metres long and
  weigh as much as 20 or 30 elephants. It is the
  largest whale of all.

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What do whales eat?

• Toothed whales.
• They eat fish, crabs and squid.
• Killer whales also eat sea birds, seals and other
  whales.

• Baleen whales.
• They eat plankton and small fish.
• They also eat small shrimp-like creatures called
  krill.

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Where do whales live?

• Whales live in deep water so they can catch their
  food.
• They live in an area where there is lots of food.

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Why do whales migrate?

• Some whales travel enormous distances in search
  of food.
• The seas near the North Pole have lots of
  plankton in the summer, because there are long
  hours of daylight for plankton to grow. This is
  the ideal feeding ground in June and July.
• They also migrate to have their young in the
  warmer waters.

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How do whales find their way?

• Whales have very good hearing which is used for
  communication and finding their way.
• Low pitched sounds are used to communicate with
  other whales. This low pitched sound travels
  further through water than high pitched sound.
  Long distance communication is then possible.
• Whales send a noise and listen for an echo. If
  there is a echo, this means there is an object in
  the whales path.

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Summary

• Today we have learned about the following-.
• What a whale is.
• The features of a whale.
• The size of a whale.
• What whales eat.
• Where whales live.
• Why whales migrate.
• How whales find their way.