Whale Facts and Pictures: Get to Know These Giant Marine Mammals

Whales are mammals that live in the ocean. Although they look similar to fish, they breathe with lungs and give birth to live young that they nurse, so they are fundamentally different from fish. Most of them are huge; the blue whale is widely considered the largest animal alive on Earth today, and it swims with a steady, powerful grace.

Based on how they feed, whales are generally divided into two major groups: baleen whales and toothed whales. Baleen whales have comb-like plates of baleen in their mouths and feed on swarming creatures such as krill and small fish; toothed whales have teeth and prey on fish and squid, and dolphins also belong to the toothed whale family. The humpback whale is a well-known member of the baleen whales, famous for breaching and for its long, varied songs.

If you want to identify different whales from pictures, pay attention to a few features: body outline, the position and shape of the dorsal fin, the notch on the trailing edge of the tail fluke, and the shape of the misty spout blown out when the animal breathes; these differ from species to species. Many whales also migrate, traveling long distances back and forth between breeding waters and feeding waters, so there is a chance of seeing them in different seas in different seasons.

Whales play an important role in the marine ecosystem; their droppings help nourish phytoplankton and indirectly support the entire marine food chain. Historically, excessive whaling sharply reduced the numbers of many whale species, and today whale conservation is widely promoted internationally, while whale-watching activities also emphasize keeping distance and reducing disturbance. Learning more whale facts helps the public understand and pay attention to the survival situation of these marine giants.