Cetaceans

2 Families

Odontoceti (toothed whales)67 speciesOne opening for blowhole

Mysticeti (baleen whales)11 speciesTwo openings for blowhole

TeethToothed whales have teeth which are

numerous and peg-like, although sometimes modified, as in the single tusk of the narwhal or the odd, fanglike lower teeth of the beaked whales.

TeethBaleen whales lack teeth completely as adults

(although teeth are present in fetal baleen whales). They feed by straining small marine organisms out of the water using plates of baleen, a hornlike substance that forms filaments that hang down from the roof of the mouth.

ReproductionAll species produce a single offspring at a

time

The female delivers usually a single calf tail-first to minimize the risk of drowning.

Milk is so fatty that it has the consistency of toothpaste

BalaenidaeBowhead WhalesRight Whales

RorqualHumpback whalesBlue whalesFin WhalesMinkie Whales

EschrichtiidaeGrey Whales

NeobalaenidaePygmy Right Whales

DelphinidaeDolphins

MonodontidaeBelugas Narwhals

PhocoenidaePorpoises

PhyseteroideaSperm Whales

PlatanistoideaRiver Dolphins

SoundMost whales have generally poor vision

(exept dolphins which have acute binocular vision).

To make up for it cetaceans have excellent hearing.

Because sounds travel farther and faster in water whales can communicate to each other at far distances.

Baleen whale songsAll the whales in an area sing virtually the

same song at any point in time and the song is constantly and slowly evolving over time.

Unsure why they sing but most agree it is used for sexual courtship.

Only males singDo not have vocal cords, how they make the

sound is unknown.

Toothed whale echolocationHave a highly adapted echolocation

adaptationUse it to see their surroundings as well as

communicating between individualsCan use the intense sounds to immobilize

small prey

IntelligenceStudies into dolphin behavior have

highlighted how similar their communications are to those of humans and that they are brighter than chimpanzees.

IntelligenceBaleen whales also exhibit a high level of

intelligence.Have the ability to migrate thousands of

miles

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/cetacea/cetacean.html

http://www.wisegeek.com/why-do-whales-sing.htm