Whale pictures
Looking at whale pictures, you will notice that their streamlined body shape is similar to a that of a fish, and also that their flippers are paddle-shaped. Whales have the ability to swim quickly through water by using their tail fins, otherwise known as flukes. Most whale species have a dorsal fin that is located on their back. There are two suborders of whales: toothed and baleen whales. Toothed whales will prey on squid, fish, marine mammals and even other whales, seeing as they have teeth. They have the ability to sense the environment that’s surrounding them by using echolocation. Just as with all mammals, a whale is warm-blooded, breathes air into lungs and feeds their young milk. The diet of a whale is dependent upon the individual species; it can span from large marine mammals down to microscopic plankton. All of the world’s oceans are home to whales, although their location is dependant on the species in question.
Underneath a whale’s skin is blubber, which is a layer of fat. It acts as both insulation and as an energy reserve. Whales breathe via blowholes, situated on their head so that the animal can stay underwater. Toothed whales only have a single blowhole, while a baleen whale has two blowholes.
Most whales, particularly baleen whales, will usually migrate lengthy distances away from their feeding grounds in cold water, over to warm-water breading grounds every year. They will either travel by themselves or in a group, on each of their annual migrations. It is common for toothed whales to hunt together in groups, travel with each other and to share the responsibility of young-rearing between themselves.
Whale pictures will generally demonstrate just how active whales are when they’re swimming around. They are known to jump, or breach, out and above the water before quickly gliding back into it. Whales are commonly seen thrusting their tails above the water and slamming them against the surface, which is now thought to be a way of them communicating that there’s a danger nearby.
Another way that whales communicate is by using lyrical sounds. Depending on the type of species in question, these sounds can be very loud and are audible from many miles away. Complicated whale songs can be picked up many miles away in the water. Toothed whales emit clicks and whistles, baleen whales sing at low-frequencies and the humpback species can sing for 30 minutes.
Due to their environment and their requirement to breathe air at the surface of the water, whales have to consciously breathe, meaning that they choose when they’ve got to breathe. This means that whales are not able to be in an unconscious state for too long, otherwise they’d be unable to go past the surface and get some air.
Much of Earth’s life is currently at threat because of the harms of climate change, and whales are definitely no exception. Changes to sea temperature and sea level rises will expose whales to a lot more risk than ever before, making their population particularly fragile and they may struggle to quickly adapt to continue to survive. As well as this, whale food sources are also going to be facing a number of challenges, including a massive decrease in krill population – a primary food source for many species of large whales.
With regards to reproduction, the mating season is different for each whale species. The number of offspring that they will have is just a single calf. The nursing period is relatively long, taking over a year for a good number of species, which is known to cause a powerful bond between the young and their mother. Although this type of reproduction creates very few offspring, it’s one of main reasons behind their high chances of survival in the wild.
The biggest living animal and the largest-known mammal that’s ever seen the face of the Earth is the Blue Whale, growing to the incredible size of around 150 tons and 110 feet long- certainly one of the more impressive whale pictures that you will be able to find on this site. See our Whale pictures in gallery below ….