Tom Greve - Whales

2011 Rourke Publishing LLC All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher. www.rourkepublishing.com PHOTO CREDITS: : Jocrebbin Editor: Precious McKenzie Cover and Page design by Teri Intzegian Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Greve, Tom. Whales / Tom Greve. p. -- (Eye to eye with endangered species) Includes bibliographical references and index. -- (Eye to eye with endangered species) Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-61590-273-6 (Hard Cover) (alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-61590-513-3 (Soft Cover) 1. Whales--Juvenile literature. I. Title. QL737.C4G76 2011 599.5--dc22 201001010 Rourke Publishing Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota 033010 033010LP Post Office Box 643328 Vero Beach, Florida 32964

The largest living creatures on Earth cannot be found on land.

They live in the ocean. Whales are among the most . Whale-watching is a popular tourist activity in some parts of the world.

Like fish, whales spend their entire lives in the water. Even though they live in the water, whales breathe with lungs, not with to stay warm rather than fur. Although much has been learned about whales, scientists continue to study the behavior of these mysterious underwater giants.Some whales can propel themselves out of the water to splash back down. This is known as breaching. A whale must swim to the on top of its head.

Air can only get to their lungs through the blowhole. Whales cannot breathe through their mouths. When whales exhale, they blow a spout of mist into the air.

Scientists identify whales in two categories. Whales that have teeth are called toothed whales. Whales that filter their food through flat, flexible plates of bone in their mouths are called whales. The largest toothed whale is the endangered sperm whale.

With their huge heads taking up about a third of their length, sperm whales can grow up to 60 feet (18 meters) long. Sperm whales can dive more than 3,200 feet (1,000 meters) underwater. No other whale goes that deep.Grey Whale: Baleen whales have two blowholes, located side by side.Beluga Whale: Most toothed whales have one blowhole. One type of endangered baleen whale, the blue whale, is the biggest animal that has ever lived on Earth. Its so big, its heart alone is about the size of a car, and the tongue inside its giant mouth weighs as much as an elephant. Blue whales are not only the worlds biggest animal, they are also the loudest. Their call travels more than 500 miles (800 kilometers) underwater.

At 188 , its call is far louder than a jet engine. BLUE WHALE SIZE COMPARISON A blue whale grows to 100 feet (30 meters) in length. It wouldnt even fit on a full-size basketball court.Belugas are known as canaries of the sea. Like canaries, belugas make shrill, high-pitched noises. Not all whales are gigantic. The Beluga whale, known by its striking white color, grows to be just 11 to 14 feet (3 to 4.5 meters) long. Thats big compared to humans, but not nearly the size of many of its fellow whales.

Belugas live in the Arctic Ocean where their skin color often matches their icy .

Humans have hunted whales for . Then, teams of hunters would watch from shore until a whale would surface, blowing mist from its blowhole. Commercial Whaling Timeline This is the origin of the term There She Blows. Hunters chased and then killed the whale so they could sell its blubber to make products like soap and cooking oil. Whale hunters are known as whalers. were disappearing. Whale hunters are known as whalers. were disappearing.

For centuries, North Atlantic right whales were popular targets for whalers. They were slow swimmers and floated at the surface after being killed. Today, only a few hundred right whales remain. The name right whale comes from early whalers. When they were hunting, they called it the right whale to catch. If they had said it was the correct whale to catch, then the right whale might be named the correct whale!

Most countries no longer allow whaling.

But endangered whales still face human threats in their ocean habitat. Each year many whales die when they are hit by huge freighters traveling across the ocean.