By Lucy

Are whales mammals? Yes they are. All mammals have red blood.

The blue whale. The blue whale is the largest animal to ever live! on average, adults weigh between 100 and 120 tonnes, and males are 23 metres long, while females are 24 metres. The whale’s heart weighs 2 tonnes and pumps about 270 litres with each beat. A child could fit inside the aorta (the blood vessel leaving the heart), and the main arteries are the diameter of sewer pipes. Even when the blue whale is under the greatest strain, its heart rate is no more than 20 beats a minute – compared with a human rate of 60–80. In naming the blue whale, the 18th-century In giving this name to the largest animal in the world he may have been playing a joke. However, ‘.

Fin whale Fin whales named for their prominent dorsal fin, are rare in New Zealand waters. The second longest of the whales at an average 20 metres, the fin whale has an asymmetrical colour scheme as its right jaw, but not its left, is white. It is believed that they live up to 80 years.

Whales in New Zealand Whales belong to a group of mammals called cetaceans, which also includes dolphins and porpoises. Most people call the larger cetaceans whales, and the smaller ones dolphins. However, some species that we call whales actually belong to the dolphin family. In New Zealand there are five such whales: the killer whale (orca), short-finned pilot, long-finned pilot, false killer and melon-headed whales

The right whale Right whales are the rarest of all large whales. There are several species, but all are identified by enormous heads, which can measure up to one-third of their total body length. These whales' massive heads and jaws accommodate hundreds of baleen "teeth." Rights and other baleen-feeding whales use a comblike strainer of baleen plates and bristles to ensnare tiny morsels of food as they swim. Right whales feed on zooplankton and other tiny organisms using baleens up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) long.

The Beluga whale Belugas are also called white whales, and their unusual color makes them one of the most familiar and easily distinguishable of all the whales. Calves are born gray or even brown and only fade to white as they become sexually mature around five years of age. White whales are smallish, ranging from 13 to 20 feet (4 to 6.1 meters) in length. They have rounded foreheads and no dorsal fin. Belugas generally live together in small groups known as pods. They are social animals and very vocal communicators that employ a diversified language of clicks, whistles, and clangs. Belugas can also mimic a variety of other sounds.