WHACKY WHALES



 
 
 

Whales and dolphins belong to a group of mammals called cetaceans (suh TAY shuhnz) that spend their entire lives  in water.  The name means "larger sea animals."   There are about seventy-seven kinds of whales.  There are two very different groups of cetaceans:  Baleen
(bay LEEN) whales, have no teeth and Toothed whales, have teeth.  Whales and dolphins are among the most intelligent and mysterious creatures on our earth.

 

 
 
 





Baleen Whales have no teeth.   They have horny plates in their mouths that strains out their food from the water.  These hundreds of tiny bony triangles are called baleen or whalebones.  They hang from the upper jaw and are made up of the same material
as your fingernails.  There are ten kinds  of baleen whales.
 
 





Toothed Whales, can have between 2 to 250 teeth.  Some have peg like teeth in both jaws, some only in the lower jaws.  They use their teeth to catch squid or fish but not for chewing.  All toothed whales swallow their prey whole.
 
 




In this unit, we will discuss five whales from each group.   Later, you will do a research paper on two other whales not discussed in this unit.  Choose one from each group to report on.
 
 
 
 

 Click here for  different kinds of whales.