Original photo by Sergey Uryadnikov/ Shutterstock
Whales are among the most magnificent animals on Earth, a throwback to the enormous creatures that once graced our planet and largely disappeared before we had the chance to witness them. Yet they also remain mostly mysterious, like the vast oceans that house them, a collection of distantly observed giants that exhibit both puzzling and relatable behaviors that hint at an intelligence to rival ours. With so much more to learn, here are nine things we do know about the massive, marvelous whale.
There Are Two Types of Whales
As members of the cetacean order, whales are grouped into two suborders: baleen whales (mysticetes) and toothed whales (odontocetes). The former are named for the plates attached to their upper jaws, called baleen, which enable the blue whales, right whales, humpbacks, and others in this category to trap tiny fish and crustaceans in their huge mouths. Toothed whales, as you may have guessed, possess teeth to grab hold of larger prey like fish, squid, and seals, which are then swallowed whole. This suborder includes sperm whales, dolphins, and narwhals, which famously feature a hornlike tooth protruding from their lip.
The First Whales Lived on Land
The first cetacean was a wolf-sized, land-dwelling carnivore called Pakicetus, which bore little resemblance to today’s whales beyond the shared skull shape and ear structure. First appearing in modern-day Pakistan approximately 50 million years ago, Pakicetus soon spawned descendants that were better suited for marine life; by the arrival of Dorudon (an extinct species of ancient whale) around 40 million years ago, some of these mammals had already adapted to life underwater. Further along the evolutionary line, baleen whales first appeared approximately 34 million years ago, while the colossal growth that characterizes some whale species began occurring concurrently with cooling climates some 4.5 million years ago.
Whales Range From 5 Feet to Nearly 100 Feet Long
Although they subsist on smaller prey, baleen whales are generally larger than their toothed counterparts. The blue whale reaches dimensions of nearly 100 feet long and almost 200 tons, making it the largest animal on the planet (although it may no longer hold the title of largest animal ever). The fin whale stretches to nearly 90 feet, with a maximum weight of about 80 tons, while the sperm whale is the largest of the toothed variety at up to 60 feet in length and 63 tons. At the other end of the spectrum is the compact vaquita, a nearly extinct porpoise that lives in the Gulf of California and tops out at about 5 feet and 120 pounds.
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The Sperm Whale Has the Largest Brain of Any Animal
Whales have some of the biggest brains of any creatures on the planet, highlighted by the 20-pound organ residing in the skulls of sperm whales (the biggest brain overall of any species). Of course, this is in large part due to the sheer size of these creatures, and humans still come out ahead when comparing brain-to-body-size ratio. Nevertheless, whale brains have been found to have spindle neurons, the nerve cells responsible for more complex functions like reasoning, memory, and adaptive thinking. Given that whales have been shown to live in complex societies and exhibit a wide range of emotions, it’s likely that these plus-sized brains are also a sign of high levels of intelligence.
Whales Breach the Ocean Surface as a Way to Communicate
Breaching — the term for when a marine animal propels its body up and out of the water — is always a crowd-pleaser on whale tours, even if the reason for this energy-consuming behavior isn’t well understood. Scientists who studied the habits of humpback whales concluded that breaching can be used as a means of long-distance communication, as the humpbacks under examination mostly engaged in this activity when another group was more than 4,000 meters away. Other possible explanations for breaching include a display of fitness for mating, a means of ridding the skin of parasites, or simply a way to have some fun.
Whales Can Find Themselves Beached for Numerous Reasons
Not to be confused with breaching, beaching is also an eye-catching cetacean event that results when these sea-dwellers wash ashore. A fate befalling old, sick, or injured individuals that are too weak to swim to safety, beaching can also occur among healthy whales seeking to escape predators, or those that simply get trapped in shallow areas when tides recede. Although orcas are known to propel themselves onto shores to hunt for seals, beaching is generally bad news for the animal involved. Outside its natural environment, a whale can overheat from its thick blubber and succumb to the toxins that accumulate from diminished circulation.
Male Humpback Whales Produce Evolving “Songs”
Toothed whales are known to emit clicking sounds as part of their echolocation abilities to identify other underwater objects. Baleen whales (which don’t use echolocation) deliver both low-frequency moans and higher-frequency whistles. But perhaps the most interesting noises from the whale family are the “songs” produced by male humpbacks. A series of repeating growls, bleats, and wails, these songs can last up to a half-hour in length, and are sometimes vocalized on a seeming loop for hours on end. Additionally, humpback songs have been shown to evolve into different tunes over time as members of a group repeat and put their own creative flourishes on the sequences.
Whales Are Biologically Suited to Hold Their Breath for a Long Time
While many of us would struggle to stay underwater for more than 15 seconds, whales are proven champions when it comes to holding in air for lengthy dives to the ocean floor. This is thanks to bodies that produce high levels of proteins like hemoglobin and myoglobin, which enable the mammals to store oxygen in their muscles and blood. Additionally, diving whales will lower their heart rate and cut off blood flow to organs such as the liver and kidneys to conserve oxygen. With these physiological superpowers at their disposal, whales have been recorded remaining underwater for as long as 222 minutes, and reaching a depth of nearly 10,000 feet.
Whales Can Migrate More Than 10,000 Miles in a Year
Some whales undertake mind-boggling migrations from polar to tropical climates that can cover more than 10,000 miles in a round trip. Many of these migratory patterns follow food-birth cycles, as the animals dine in nutrient-rich northern waters during the summer months before moving south to produce their young in gentler climates during winter. Recently, scientists have added the credible explanation that whales also head south to expedite a molting process that comes to a standstill in colder environments. Yet migratory patterns can be irregular even among whales of the same species, with some electing to forgo the long journeys undertaken by their companions, proving once again that there’s no fitting these animals neatly into a box when it comes to explaining their sophisticated behaviors.
Interesting Facts writers have been seen in Popular Mechanics, Mental Floss, A+E Networks, and more. They’re fascinated by history, science, food, culture, and the world around them.
