Melissa Pioch - Amazing Animals: Wild Whales: Addition and Subtraction

0covercover.xhtmlAmazing Animals Wild Whales Addition and Subtraction Melissa Piochcover3page0003page0003.xhtml24page0004page0004.xhtmlTable of Contents Dont Call Them Fish 4 Toothed Whales 6 Baleen Whales 16 Protecting Whales 26 Problem Solving 28 Glossary 30 Index 31 Answer Key 3235page0005page0005.xhtmlDont Call Them Fish! Where does an orca go for braces? The orca-dontist! Why was the whale so sad? Because he was a blue whale! All jokes aside, whales are interesting animals. There are over 80 species of whales, including the orca and blue whale that took starring roles in those jokes! Whales in the wild live their entire lives in ocean waters. But, they are not fish. Whales are mammals, like cats, dogs, and humans. Whales have lungs and need to breathe air. They cannot breathe underwater, so they have to swim to the surface to breathe. Whales breathe through blowholes on the tops of their heads. They take in air through the blowhole when they reach the waters surface. Like all mammals, whales give birth to their babies and feed them milk. Whale babies are called calves. Calves arent small like other animals infants. In fact, when baby blue whales are born, they are already the same size as adult elephants! a gray whales blowholes46page0006page0006.xhtmlhumpback whale and calf57page0007page0007.xhtmlToothed Whales What sets toothed whales apart from other whales? You guessed it teeth! There are about 65 species of toothed whales. Toothed whales are hunters. They chase and eat fish, starfish, crabs, squid, and other ocean animals. Their sharp teeth grip prey to prevent escape. Once they have the prey in their grasp, they can swallow it whole or in chunks. Most toothed whales find their prey with the help of echolocation. It helps them see in the oceans dark waters. So, how does it work? Well, toothed whales emit sounds from their foreheads. Those sounds bounce off objects and return to the whales (the sounds echo). The quicker sounds bounce back, the closer objects are. Whales use this information to find nearby food. Sound Waves Sent by the Whale Returning Sound Waves68page0008page0008.xhtmlOrcas are the most widely known toothed whale. Belugas are toothed whales known for their white coloring.79page0009page0009.xhtmlOrcas What has a black body, a white belly, and can jump through the air? (No, this is not a joke.) Its an orca. Orcas, or killer whales, are ocean predators that can eat up to 500 pounds (225 kilograms) of food each day. Orcas live and hunt together in pods. They hunt seals, penguins, sharks, and even other whales. Orcas catch their prey in many ways. Sometimes, they swim around a group of fish. The movement forces the fish into a tight ball. Then, the orcas slap the fish with their tails. This stuns the fish. Orcas also make waves by moving their fins and tails. Seals and penguins on nearby blocks of ice lose their balance in the unsteady water. Once orcas catch their prey, they do not chew. Instead, they swallow most of their meals whole. Sea lions and small seals slide down easily. Sharks and whales are swallowed as chunks. Orcas force a school of fish into a tight ball.810page0010page0010.xhtmlAn orca quickly approaches seals in shallow water. An orca breaches close to shore. sidebar model of orca teeth911page0011page0011.xhtmlsperm whales1012page0012page0012.xhtmlSperm Whales Unlike other whales, sperm whales are easy to identify because of their huge, round heads. They are the largest of the toothed whales. They also have the largest brain of any animal that has ever been found on Earth. Sperm whales heads hold a lot of fluid. Scientists think that the fluid helps the whales dive deep. They have found that the fluid turns into wax when it is cold. Since the wax is denser than the fluid, it weighs the whale down. As the sperm whale swims closer to the surface, the water gets warmer. This causes the wax to melt again. Sperm whales use this ability to hunt in both deep and shallow waters. They can dive over 3, 000 feet (900 meters) to look for prey. giant squid let1113page0013page0013.xhtmlNarwhals Narwhals are sometimes called the Unicorns of the Sea. They are toothed whales best known for their long tusks. The tusk is really a tooth that grows from the males upper jaw. Females can grow this tusk, too, but it is much less common. And when they do, the tusk is not as long as a males. Male tusks can grow up to 9 ft. (3 m) long and can weigh more than 22 lbs. (10 kg). A narwhal surfaces to breathe. A pod of narwhals passes through Arctic Bay in Canada.1214page0014page0014.xhtmlScientists are still studying why narwhals have tusks. Some scientists think they use the tusks to fight other males or to impress females. But, the tusks have lots of nerves and tiny holes that let water in. So, narwhals may use their tusks to tell how warm and salty the water is. This might help them find prey. Or, it might help them find their way in the ocean. let1315page0015page0015.xhtmlBeluga Whales Beluga whales are related to narwhals and are often a favorite of whale lovers. Their white color and round heads set them apart from other whales, as does their playful nature. The beluga is one of the smallest species of whale. Even so, they can reach up to 20 ft. (6 m) long! Calves are born gray or brown, but fade to white when they are about five years old. Belugas live in cold Arctic waters. They have thick layers of fat, or blubber. The blubber helps them stay warm in the cold water. Belugas live in pods and are social whales. They like to talk to each other. They talk by clicking and whistling. Belugas can copy other sounds, too. Belugas also have very flexible necks. They can turn their heads up, down, and side to side. Belugas can even swim backward! A three-month old beluga calf swims with his mother at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois.1416page0016page0016.xhtmlThree playful beluga whales blow bubbles.1517page0017page0017.xhtmlBaleen Whales Baleen whales are different from toothed whales. First, they have two blowholes instead of one. Second, they do not have teeth. Instead, baleen whales have bristles called baleen plates. These plates are made of the same protein as our fingernails and hair. Baleen plates look just like combs. And they act like them too! First, a whale opens its mouth and sucks in prey and water. Then, the water is pushed back through the baleen plates. The plates strain food, which is trapped in the whale's mouth until it is swallowed whole. Each mouthful can hold a million or more tiny animals. Since baleen whales do not have teeth, they usually eat large amounts of very small animals. The animals include plankton, cyclops, and krill. Krill are a lot like tiny shrimp. A huge whale might eat thousands of pounds of prey in one day. plankton cyclops krill1618page0018page0018.xhtmla gray whales baleen plates These time-lapse images of a humpback whale breaching show it jumping out of the water, turning, and falling backward.1719page0019page0019.xhtmlGray Whales When people see gray whales for the first time, they are often surprised. Gray whales look like they are covered in white spots. The spots are actually barnacles. These small creatures attach to gray whales and catch a ride for the rest of their lives. In that time, they eat plankton. In exchange, the barnacles act like armor for the whale. Since gray whales grow to about 45 ft. (14 m) long, many barnacles can find a place to attach up to 1, 000 of them! Gray whales make one of the longest migrations of any mammal. They travel more than 10, 000 miles (16, 000 kilometers) each year. They spend the summer feeding in cool Arctic waters. When the weather gets too cold, they swim south along the Pacific coast. By winter, they reach the warm waters of Mexico. They give birth to their calves there. When spring arrives, the gray whales head north again. In their lifetime, gray whales travel distances that equal a trip to the moon and back! Barnacles cover a gray whale.1820page0020page0020.xhtmlgray whales gray whale migration route sidebar1921page0021page0021.xhtmlHumpback Whales Another species of baleen whale is known for its amazing songs. Female humpback whales use sounds to talk to each other. But, only males can sing long tunes. They can sing for minutes, hours, or even days! Groups of males will sing the same songs. They even sing in tune with one another! Some people think they sing to talk to each other or to attract females. Others believe that their songs warn other whales of danger. In 1970, some of their songs were recorded as background music to an old whaling song. It quickly became a best-selling album! Humpbacks are also strong and playful swimmers. They slap the water with their fins and tails. Like other whales, humpbacks often launch themselves out of the water, or breach. Scientists think they might breach to get rid of small animals on their skin. Or, they might do it just for fun! a breaching humpback2022page0022page0022.xhtmlA humpback whale and calf swim to the oceans surface.2123page0023page0023.xhtmlFin Whales The fin whale is the second largest whale on Earth. They grow to over 80 ft. (25 m) in length and can weigh up to 160, 000 lbs. (72, 500 kg). That is nine times heavier than a Tyrannosaurus Rex! Fin whales backs and sides are black or dark gray, while their bellies are white. Their lips are dark on the left side but white on the right side. When they hunt bigger prey, they swim on their right sides. That way, the prey will not see the white. When they hunt smaller fish, they swim on their left sides. The white color stuns the fish to move into a group that is easier for the whale to eat. Fin whales are not only known for their looks. They are also one of the fastest species of whales. They can swim about 25 mi. per hour (40 km per hour) when they are scared. Their normal pace is a steady 18 mph (30 kmph). fin whale2224page0024page0024.xhtml74 feet (23 meters) Female fin whales can grow up to three times as long as the biggest elephants. sidebar2325page0025page0025.xhtmlblue whale The bersee Museum in Germany has a to-scale model of a blue whales heart.2426page0026page0026.xhtmlBlue Whales Blue whales are the biggest animals that have ever existed. Even the largest dinosaurs did not come close. The blue whale can grow up to 100 ft. (30 m) long and can weigh up to 400, 000 lbs. (180, 000 kg). And its heart can weigh as much as a small piano! Blue whales are also the loudest animals in the world. A blue whales heartbeat can be heard up to two miles away! And its speech is louder than a jet engine. Like humpback whales, blue whales sing. Scientists think blue whales sing for many reasons. Singing helps them find their way in the dark. And it helps them find food. Their songs also let them talk to each other. Blue whales can hear each other up to 1, 000 mi. (1, 600 km) away. Thats like yelling in London and being heard in Madrid! Researchers photograph a blue whale in Mexico.2527page0027page0027.xhtmlProtecting Whales From the giant blue whale to the playful beluga, whales are wild and wonderful. But, big as they are, they still need your help. These mammals live their entire lives in the ocean. They have their calves there. They eat there. Now, because of polluted water, they are not always safe there. But, you can help! You can make changes in your own home. Recycle all the trash you can. Do not flush harmful chemicals down the drain. Dispose of unsafe materials the right way. Being careful about what is put into the environment helps to keep the oceans clean. If the oceans are clean, whales can be safe and happy and thats no joke!2628page0028page0028.xhtmlA family separates items to be recycled. Volunteers collect trash on the beach.2729page0029page0029.xhtmlProblem Solving A class keeps track of how many whales are spotted on a marine centers webcam in one month. They record the data in a table. 1. How many total fin whales were spotted during Week 2 and Week 3? 2. Your friend wants to know how many blue whales were spotted during the month. She adds 56, 9, 104, and 72 but realizes that her solution does not make sense. Use her work to explain the mistake. Find the correct sum. 3. During week 4, 17 of the orcas spotted were calves. How many orcas were adults? 4. How many more narwhals were spotted than sperm whales during the month?2830page0030page0030.xhtmlWhale Week 1Week 2 Week 3Week 4 blue 56 9 104 72 fin 21 57 13 49 humpback 220 106 201 83 gray 152 234 132 93 sperm 30 15 47 113 orca 291 56 86 164 narwhal 73 101 10 98 beluga 47 140 168 1322931page0031page0031.xhtmlGlossary armor a hard covering that protects something baleen plates two rows of hair that hang from upper jaws of baleen whales barnacles shellfish that attach themselves to rocks, boats, and certain whales blowholes holes in whales heads used for breathing blubber the fat on whales and other animals that live in water breach to make an opening by pushing through something denser heavier than most things that are the same size echolocation the use of sound waves to determine location environment the natural world mammals animals that feed milk to their young and that usually have hair migrations animals moving from one place to another according to season pods groups of ocean animals that swim together polluted dirty and unsafe land, water, or air predators animals that survive by eating other animals prey animals that are hunted or killed by other animals for food species groups of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants3032page0032page0032.xhtmlIndex Arctic, baleen whale, beluga whale, blowholes, blue whale, calves, fin whale, gray whale, humpback whales, mammal, narwhals, orca, pods, predators, prey, species, sperm whale, toothed whale,3133page0033page0033.xhtmlAnswer Key Let's Explore Math page 9 : 1. 90 teeth 2. 180 teeth 3. Answers will vary, but may include : Since I knew that 45 + 45 = 90, I can add 90 and 90 to find 180. page 11 : 1, 150 ft. page 13 : 1. 92 narwhals 2. 45 narwhals page 19 : 1. 44 mi. 2. 28 mi. page 23 : 1. 5 ft. longer 2. 143 ft. long Problem Solving 1. 70 fin whales 2. Answers will vary, but may include : She did not use place value to find her solution. She added tens and ones with hundreds. The correct sum is 241. 3. 147 4. 773234page0034page0034.xhtmlMath Talk 1. How can you tell when a problem can be solved by addition? How can you tell when a problem can be solved by subtraction? 2. How are addition and subtraction related? 3. There are usually 6 to 10 fin whales to a pod. Create addition and subtraction situations using this information. 4. How can you check the solution to an addition problem? How can you check the solution to a subtraction problem? 5. If you want to solve a problem mentally, would you rather add or subtract? Why? 6. A beluga whale born in the wild weighs about 80 kg. A beluga whale born in captivity weighs about 60 kg. How much more does the wild beluga weigh? How many ways can you prove this using addition and subtraction?3335page0035page0035.xhtmlAmazing Animals Wild Whales Addition and Subtraction Whales may share the ocean with fish, but these large mammals are very different animals. Get to know some of the many species of whales and discover what makes them unique. Dive into addition and subtraction as you explore the wonderful world of whales. It is a whale of a tale! Operations and Algebric ReasoningBack Cover