Whales

KARISHMA GUPTE III YEAR B. V. Sc & A.H. V/05/0246

Biological Details • • • • • •

Male: Bull Female: Cow Young one: calf Life span:40 – 200 years. Sexual maturity: 5 – 11yrs. Gestation period: 10 – 12 months. • Weaning of calf: 1 year. • Calving interval: 3 – 10 years.

Diseases in whales: • • • • • • • • • • •

Parasites Bacteria Viruses Bends Pneumonia Cardiac problems Fungal Hodgekins disease Stomach ulcers Skin infections Atherosclerosis

Parasites External Barnacles , Whale lice

Internal Cestodes, nematodes & trematodes.

External parasites.

Barnacles

Whale lice (cyamids):

Taxonomy : • Kingdom : Animalia • Phylum : Chordata • Class : Mammalia • Order : Cetacea

Suborders

Mysticeti (Baleen whales)

Odontoceti (Toothed whales)

Toothed whales • • 3. 4. 5. 6.

Have teeth. Families: Physeteridae. (Sperm whales) Kogiidae (Pygmy sperm whale) Ziphiidae (Beaked whales) Delphinidae (Dolphins)

5. Monodontidae (White whales) 6. Platanistidae. 7. Iniidae. 8. Lipotidae. 9. Pontoporiidae. 10.Phocoenidae (porpoises)

Baleen whales • • 3. 4. 5. 6.

Sieve – keratin – Filter feeding. Families: Balaenidae (Right whales) Neobalaenidae (Pygmy right whales) Balaenopteridae (Rorquals) Eschrichtiidae (Gray whale)

Anatomical aspects

Diagram illustrating sound generation, propagation and reception in a toothed whale.

Skeleton of blue whale

B B

Bowhead

Grey whale

T Sperm whale T

B Humpback

Large Whales Bryde

Right whale

B Fin whale

B

Blue whale B

Bowhead whales

High arched upper jaw – archer’s bow. Triangular head –break the ice. 2 blowholes -2 bushy, V-shaped blows -4m. No dorsal fin. Peduncle patch.

Grey Whale

Gray patches & white mottling on dark skin. Rostrum – dimpled –one stiff hair. Streamlined body –tapering head. Devilfish.

Sperm Whale

Named after spermaceti. Physter macrocephalus. Knobby skin. S –shaped blowhole. Bushy blow 45° forward. No true dorsal fin.

Largest toothed mammal. Largest brain 7 – 9 kg. Largest living carnivore. Deepest diving mammal. Loudest animal in world.

Right Whale

Right, proper, true whale to kill. Upper & lower jaws –highly curved. Rostrum –covered by callosities. Grazers of sea.

Humpback

Active, acrobatic. Throw themselves out of water. Rorquals. Blue, Minke, Bryde’s, Sei, Fin. Dorsal fin & ventral pleats.

Fin whale

Rorquals. Fastest –greyhound of the sea. Streamlined body & V –shaped head. Prominent falcate dorsal fin.

Bryde Whale

Johan Bryde –South African Whaling Rorquals. Bluish-gray body with white underside.

Blue Whale

Rorquals. Largest mammal – light bones. Blue gray with mottling. Splash guard in blowhole. Longest whale -108 feet.

Narwhal

Minke Whale

T

Pygmy sperm

T

B

Beluga whale T

Small Whales

Pygmy right whale B Cuvier’s beaked Whale

T Baird’s beaked whale T

Minke Whale

Smallest rorqual. Little Piked whale. Narrow triangular rostrum. Counter shaded black to dark gray –above, white below. Dorsal fin –tall & falcate.

Narwhal

Chunky , stocky whale. No fin. Long tusk – 9 feet – mating activity. Only 2 teeth. Leopard spotted.

Beluga Whale

White –colour adaptation. Calves are grey. Melon. Narrow caudal peduncle (tail stock) No dorsal fin. Sea canary.

Pygmy Sperm Whale

Teeth in lower jaw only. Upper jaw – only sockets. False gill. Single blowhole.

Pygmy Right Whale

Smallest of baleen whales. Small head, blow is unnoticeable. Baleen are more flexible & stronger. Chevrons. Small falcate dorsal fin. Unique skeletal structure. Don’t exhibit many whale behaviour.

Cuvier’s beaked Whale

Goosebeak whale. Depression behind blowholes. Lower jaw extends well beyond upper jaw. V- shaped throat grooves.

Baird’s beaked Whale

Largest of all beaked whales. High bulbous forehead. Thin beak. 2 V-shaped throat grooves.

Behaviour Bearching Tail slap Sky hop Head slap Sailing Singing

Bearching

Tail Slap/ Lobtailing:

Sky Hop

Head Slap

Sailing

Singing • Toothed –echolocate , Baleen –infrasonic • Long complicated patterns of tweets, grunts, groans etc. • Only males sing – territorial status or mating cry. • Sing in warmer waters. • Do not have vocal cords. Push air through hollow nasal cavities. • Remember song note by note –same song each mating season.

Mating Behaviour

Cow – calf association

Sequence showing how Baby Whale learns within few Minutes after Birth how to breathe Air at Surface and Dive to suck Milk from Mother's Nipples

Composition of milk Water Fat Name of species Human milk 87.7 3.6

Whale milk

70.1 19.6

Protein Lactose

Ash

1.8

6.8

0.1

9.5

-

1.0

Whale calves drink 380–570 litres (100–150 US gallons) of milk a day.

Feeding

Sleep

Blowing

Whaling:

Oil

Baleen

Meat Whaling

Blubber

Ambergris

Ambergris:

Raw ambergris

Smoothened

Whale meat:

Whale meat shop in Japan:

Blubber & Oil:

Pickwick

Jagging wheel

Artifacts from Baleen & Bones:

Scrimshaw carved from whale tooth

Whale oil lamps

Ulu

Made from whale bone

Whale bone signet ring