Whales are members of a scientific order known as Cetacea. Cetaceans are found in every ocean and consist of two main suborders: baleen whales (or Mysticeti) and toothed whales (Odontoceti), which also include dolphins and porpoises.
Whales are mammals, so they are warm-blooded, females give birth to live young and nurse them with milk, and they have hair (although not a lot). They can remain under water for a long time, but they need to breathe air and must surface to fill their lungs. They have a dramatic range in size: The blue whale is the largest whale and the largest living creature in the world today: It can reach almost 100 feet long. The dwarf sperm whale is the smallest whale, generally growing to about eight feet. Baleen whales appear to have a good sense of smell, while toothed whales have a good sense of hearing. Here is a look at the most heavily hunted whales by the U.S. whaling industry in the 19th century.
Sperm Whale
This story is from the September 2017 edition of Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids.
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This story is from the September 2017 edition of Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids.
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