Whales to the Rescue: How Whales Help Engineer the Planet
INTRODUCTION Off the coast of Trincomalee Sri Lanka a sperm whale as long as three minivans dives deep in the ocean chasing a giant squid Ten minutes go by then twenty thirty forty Finally after almost an hour the whale breaks the ocean's surface with a massive exhale Whoosh The blast of warm air condenses into water droplets that catch the sun's light and glitter briefly before evaporating The sperm whale's world may seem foreign think of all the gear you would need to survive in the ocean And giant squid for dinner Maybe not But sperm whales and all the world's whales are actually a lot like you Just like humans and other mammals they give birth to live babies that feed on their mother's milk They're warm blooded And while they can hold their breath for long periods as they swim and dive they still have to come to the surface to grab gulps of the air we all share Whales are found in all the world's oceans from the Arctic to the Antarctic from the Atlantic to the Pacific Since they spend most of their time underwater whales are still quite mysterious to us But new research tools are helping us discover many new things about their lives such as where they travel and how far what they eat and what might eat them And one of the most remarkable things we've learned As whales go about their lives they're also helping the planet and ultimately us As they swim and dive and eat and poop whales are working as ecosystem engineers Their actions help maintain a healthy ocean and can even affect Earth's atmosphere which is critical in a warming world
WHALES OF THE WORLD Whales are among the largest animals on the planet and the blue whale is the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth Its tongue is as heavy as two hippos and its heart is so big a ten year old could fit inside it with her arms stretched wide There are ninety known species of whales dolphins and porpoises in the world Scientists call these animals cetaceans Although they vary in size a harbor porpoise could fit in your bathtub while a fin whale is about as long as a tennis court cetaceans all have a similar appearance Their smooth torpedo shaped bodies help them slip easily through the water A muscular tail gives thrusting power and they steer with paddle like flippers They breathe through either one or two blowholes the number varies between groups on top of their heads Whale Dolphin or Porpoise Dolphins and porpoises are smaller than most whales and are often seen zipping and leaping through the sea Although their looks can vary most dolphins have a pointy beak In contrast porpoises have a blunter snout
Know Your Whales A bowhead whale uses its massive skull to break through thick Arctic ice A sperm whale is easy to recognize because of its blunt head The common minke whale is one of the smallest whales and can be identified by the white bands on its flippers The blue whale can be as long as three small school buses Killer whales also called orcas use complex sounds to talk with one another Gray whales often have clusters of large barnacles growing on their backs Humpback whales are the acrobats of the ocean and often leap clear of the water A narwhal has a long tusk which is an enlarged spiral tooth Hib
