1. Whale Adaptations & Behaviors

2. Breathing in Whales All mammals have lungs
Opening on top of head called blowhole (nose)
Baleen whales = 2 nostrils
Toothed whales = 1 nostril
Use to breathe in and out
Whales evolved from having nose on snout to top of head
Can stay underwater while breathing

4. Swimming in Whales Powerful hind flippers called tail flukes
Allows for up-and-down movement
Dorsal fin present in almost all (except narwhal)
Helps to swim straight
Pectoral fins vary in size
Use for swimming, braking, & balance
Internal bones similar to other mammals
Floating hipbones evidence of ancestral hind limbs

6. How Captivity Affects Killer Whales

7. Imprisoned for Life: Marine Mammals in Captivity

8. Movements in Whales Diving Lobtailing
Produce wall of bubbles to confuse & entrap prey
Swim up & engulf prey in feeding process called lunging
Lobtailing
Waves tail in air & smashes it against ocean surface
Possibly sign of aggression or announcing presence

9. Movements in Whales (cont’d)
Spyhopping
Raises head & looks around
Breaching
Leaps out of water & crashes back down
Dislodge skin parasites, communication, or playful behavior

10. Communication & Echolocation in Whales
Well-developed brains w/ ability to communicate w/ others
Dolphins produce clicks in airway & directed by fatty bump in forehead called the melon
Natural form of sonar called echolocation
Used to locate objects and even stun prey
Breeding males primarily sing specific songs
Sometimes stranding (beaching) observed
Typically leads to death
Possibly due to disease from infection or pollution impairing ability to echolocate

13. Why do Whales Beach Themselves?

14. Exploding Sperm Whale Carcass

15. “You’re a Beluga”

16. The Diving Response
P1, 5

17. The Diving Response AKA diving reflex
Shunting (detouring) of blood to vital organs (brain, heart, lungs, muscles)
Cells can increase energy production by carrying out anaerobic respiration
Ability to inhale/exhale quickly & nearly completely
Higher blood volume & greater concentration of red blood cells
Hemoglobin (RBC) & myoglobin (muscles)
Bradycardia – ability to slow heart rate
Water pressure causes reflex reaction of nervous system

18. Inside Nature’s Giants: Sperm Whale