A whale is a fish or a mammal? Interesting facts about whales

Whale - a fish or a mammal? This question disturbed scientists long before the advent of modern science. In particular, such a genius of thought as Aristotle tried to solve this problem. And at the same time he came to the same opinion as our contemporaries. But let's talk about everything in order.

The whale is the most magnificent inhabitant of the water expanses. With its size and grace, no living creature can compare, not to mention his amazing ability to sing songs. But what else do we know about these incredible creatures?

Who is a whale?

So, what is the meaning of the word whale? According to the dictionary, this is a large mammal living in the sea. That is, today, unlike the old days, it is much easier to find a clue to such an intricate question. But how did it happen that an ancient descendant of whales wanted to trade land for the ocean?

Well, scientists do not yet know the whole truth. However, it is precisely known that 60 million years ago the ancestors of all cetaceans for the first time went to seek food back into the water. Perhaps, this was caused by a prolonged drought, which ruined part of the vegetation on the planet, or greater competition from other animals. But the fact remains that the ancestors of the whales no longer wanted to return back to the land.

How did a land animal adapt to life under water?

It should be understood that such a metamorphosis did not occur in one or two years. Evolution is a chain of small changes, thanks to which for thousands of years the living organism constantly mutates. And this ultimately produces an entirely new species, radically different from their ancestors.

Yet after 60 million years, researchers still find echoes of those ancient times in the structure of the whale's skeleton, when he still walked on his four paws overland. For example, he has a hip bone that is located in his back of the body. And also its anterior fins have a similar structure of bones with the majority of cloven-hoofed animals.

After carrying out a series of studies, the scientists came to a curious conclusion. It turns out that the closest relatives of cetaceans are hippos. And if you look closely, some similarity in their behavior can be seen even today. In particular, their great passion for water.

Family Cetaceans

It should be noted that the whale is not the only representative of its family. Dolphins and porpoises are also included in the category of marine mammals. What are they different from other inhabitants of the water depths?

• First, all cetaceans are warm-blooded, in contrast to fish. That is why they so badly need a good fat layer that can protect them from the cold of the underwater kingdom.
• Secondly, this family can not extract oxygen from water. Therefore, they must constantly float to the surface in order to replenish their air supply in the lungs.
• Third, they all feed their children with milk. And although over the long years of evolution this process has changed a little, cetaceans are still mammalian animals.

The whole family is divided into three large subgroups:

• Moustached whales (Mysticeti) - the largest detachment of the family. Its distinctive feature is a special filtering organ "whalebone", which is located on the upper jaw of the animal. Its main task is to filter plankton from excess impurities.
• Toothed whales (Odontoceti) - on a larger scale predators, hunting for squid and small fish. This species is able to navigate in water using echolocation.
• Ancient whales (Archaeoceti) - unfortunately, not a single representative of this category has survived to this day.

Whales: general information

Among all the inhabitants of the planet Earth, the whale is the largest mammal. On average, an adult can reach 25 meters in length. For comparison, about the same number take 4 large bus, if they put in one row. Not surprisingly, such a machine weighs about 90-110 tons, and some even more.

These giants live in almost all oceans of the planet. What is true, depending on the season, they can migrate from one place to another. This behavior is due to the fact that whales are sensitive to the temperature of the water, and therefore they spend the winter closer to the tropics.

In general, among all representatives of this family, two distinct subspecies can be distinguished: blue and gray whales. By and large this division is due to the color of the skin of these animals, but there are other, no less important differences.

Echoes of the past

The gray whale is the oldest member of this family. Scientists have found the remains of these animals, which, according to rough analysis, were about 30 million years old. Earlier these giants lived practically in all corners of the globe, now they can be met only in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean.

These creatures are used to living in small groups, about 2-3 individuals in each. Although it is often possible to meet a lone whale, proudly plowing the water expanses. And yet most giants prefer to live in a group. By and large, this is due to the fact that the gray whales have very strong family ties.

Probably, it was this connection that helped them survive the dangerous times. Indeed, in the middle of the 20th century, they were almost completely destroyed by whalers hunting for their fat. So, according to scientists, in 1946 the number of these mammals decreased to 250 individuals. Only thanks to the miracle and efforts of animal rights activists, it was possible to avoid tragedy. Now the number of these animals has increased to 30 thousand, which gave them a new hope for a better future.

The blue whale is the largest creature on earth

As for the blue whales, they are rightly considered to be the largest creatures on this planet. Even such a huge animal, like an elephant, can not compete with them. Such dimensions remind us that once similar giants walked all over the earth. Now the blue whale is the only representative of the animal-giants of antiquity.

This animal does not particularly favor people, and therefore rarely approaches the coast. His favorite environment is the open ocean, where he feels truly free. It moves slowly enough, with only a speed of 10-12 km / h, but in case of danger it can increase threefold.

Like all representatives of its species, the blue whale feeds on plankton. And although this animal has long changed the land to water, it can not always stay in it. That is why whales so often float to the surface, while releasing fountains of water from a special hole located on the top of the trunk.

Reproduction of whales

Whales are marine animals, whose numbers often decreased to catastrophic markers. The fault is that people are hunting for their meat and fat. They are the main culprits of these tragedies, but not the only ones.

Another factor that affects the population of any species is its ability to reproduce. So, the problem is that these creatures lead the offspring into the world no more than once in one or two years. And thus the female gives birth to only one whale, less often - two. Depending on the subspecies of whales, the pregnancy can last from 9 to 18 months.

It is pleasant that the mother always takes care of her baby very carefully. The same, in turn, grow very fast and gain weight. So, on average, a whale can collect about 50 kg of live weight per day. Therefore, it should not be surprising that, for some seven months, it can grow to 14 meters in length and weigh 20-25 tons at the same time.

And although puberty in whales comes at the age of 4-5 years, full-fledged, adult individuals, they become only in the 14-15th year of their lives.

Whale: Interesting Facts

Few know that:

• Whales are the only ones who know how to sing except for a person. And although earlier it was believed that this ability is only in males, recent studies have proven otherwise. So, the female whales also sing songs, especially small cubs.
• A full stomach of a blue whale can hold up to two tons of live food. For example, the same average fishing boats take the catch.
• If we talk about the weight of the whale, it should be remembered that one of its language weighs about 3 tons. As for the remaining organs, for example, the heart can reach 600-700 kilograms.
• Although the whale has a hip bone, it is completely useless. Moreover, it does not even connect to the main part of the skeleton.