Marine Biology Whales Free Essay Example, 1250 words

Blue whale; this whale measures 25-26 meters long weighing 100-120 tones making it the largest of all whales. Blue whale feeds through lunging and gulping preying on krill, they move to Polar Regions to feed during summer and return to lower latitudes during winter for breeding. They are distributed all over the blue waters ranging from the equator region to both hemispheres of Polar Regions. Fin whale species feed through lunging and gulping with primary prey as krill and schooling fish. Measures 21-22 meters long with females being larger than males. They weighs 45-75 tones and with a worldwide distribution. They are found in temperate regions to polar waters and less frequent in tropics. They migrate between high-latitude feeding regions during summer and lower-latitude grounds for breeding in winter. It is estimated that a single fin whale can urinate up to 970 liters in a day. Sperm whale; males are 15 meters long while females are 11meters long, they do their feeding near the ocean bottom with squid and fish as their main prey. They are distributed all over the blue waters from the equatorial region to Polar Regions. We will write a custom essay sample on Marine Biology : Whales or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Migrate between high and mid latitude summer to feed and to the tropical regions during winter breeding and calving zones. Reproduction Whales give birth to young ones called calves, mothers lactate this young whales until maturity just like other mammals. Breeding is seasonal in warm tropical regions with one female bearing a calf every 1-3 years. They have longer gestation periods ranging from 9-18 months depending on the species. The strong bond between mothers and calves is due to the long association period that goes for more than a year. This also provides protection of younger whales to survive the harsh predatory aquatic life. Whale Behavior Most whales specifically baleen whales move long distances from their usual Coldwater feeding zones to warmer regions for breeding annually.