Whale Facts - Jack Fifer

Whales are very interesting creatures, I will list some interesting facts on whales. -Sperm Whales have the largest brain on the planet. It may weigh 20 pounds. - The fin whale is one of the fastest whales. They can swim over 20 miles per hour for short periods. -The blue whale is the largest whale. They may grow up to 100 feet and weigh as much as several elephants. -The harbor porpoise is one of the smallest whales. They grow to only about 5 feet in length. -Killer whales are the largest dolphins. They get their name because they sometimes eat other, larger whales. -A humpback whale may eat up to a ton of food every day. -Whales can't breathe through their mouths. The mouth is connected directly to the stomach. They breathe through their blow holes, which go to the lungs. -A sperm whale can hold its breath for at least an hour. -The voice of the blue whale is one of the deepest voices on the planet. It is so powerful that it can travel for perhaps a hundred miles underwater. -The blubber on a whale which lives in very cold water may reach up to 20 inches thick. It is used to insulate the whale and also as an emergency food store. -Whales do not spout water. They are letting out air from their lungs. The warm air forms a cloud, like ours does in the winter. As it comes out it will also push any water which is covering the blow hole high into the air. -A new born baby blue whale may weigh two tons and be 25 feet long. -Some whales do not have teeth. They have baleen instead. The largest baleen is that of the bowhead whale, whose baleen may be up to 10 feet long. -There is a toothed whale which only has two teeth. Narwhales have one tooth hidden under the gums, but in the males the other tooth sticks out from their head like a tusk, which may grow to be 8 feet long. Info found at: http://www.smithlifescience.com/WhaleFunFacts.htm