Toothed Whales By: Lauren Granville

There are around 70 different species of Toothed Whales. They get the name, Toothed Whales, because they are the only whales that have teeth. Some Toothed Whales are: Sperm, Bottlenose, river dolphin, Orca, Pilot, Narwhal, Beaked, and Beluga.

There is a wide distribution of Toothed Whales all over the world. They can be found in deep water habitats, coastal shores, in Antarctic seas, tropical seas, and in freshwater, like the Amazon river dolphin shown below. Most migrate for food or to breed, while others, like the Sperm whale, are said to be the wanderers of the ocean, because they inhabit all oceans of the world.

DIET DIET Their diet varies among the different species Actively hunts prey using echolocation Toothed whales have peg- like teeth for grasping their prey The ones that feed on fish, seals, and other whales, like the Orcas, generally have more teeth than the ones that feed on invertebrates.

Feeding Methods Orcas will strand themselves in order to catch and eat seals from a sandy beach. Bottlenose dolphins will herd schools of fish up onto a mud bank, stranding themselves until they are finished.

The melon The melon is a fluid-filled structure, unique to Toothed whales. Its located between the blowhole and beak and is believed to function in echolocation. They use the melon as an adjustable acoustic lens.

Sperm Whales The blowhole is usually located on the top of the head, except for in the case of the Sperm whale. Sperm whales have a blowhole that is located on the front left-hand side of the head. These whales are the largest in this group and are known to have the largest brain of any animal with a weight of 20lbs.

Dolphins and Porpoises This group is mostly made up of smaller whale species that includes dolphins and porpoises. Dolphins and porpoises are aesthetically similar. Dolphins are more talkative and make whistling sounds through their blow holes for communications; porpoises do not. Both are very intelligent.

Narwhal and Beluga This family, Monodontidae, has only two species: the Narwhal and Beluga whale. Found in arctic seas and major rivers draining into them. Both lack a dorsal fin. Belugas have 8-10 teeth in each jaw; Narwhals have only two in the upper jaw, one develops into a spiral tusk.

Do whales sleep? Whether whales sleep or not remains a mystery. Because breathing is not an automatic reflex in whales and is a voluntary one, scientist believe they rest one side of the brain at a time. Scientist believe they do this by closing one eye at time before swapping to the other eye while swimming close the waters surface.

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Refrences p/WhaleWatchingShoreCapeCod.htm p/WhaleWatchingShoreCapeCod.htm bank/toothed-whales.htm bank/toothed-whales.htm whales.htm whales.htm