Blue-whale.info - Comprehensive information on the Blue Whale

Whale Glossary
 

Below are the definitions to many whale terms that you'll see on this website, or when talking about whales in general.

Albino: A whale (or any animal) lacking color in its skin, hair, and eyes.

Baleen: A strong plate of keratin, frayed on one edge, in the mouth of a baleen whale to strain water through.

Blowholes: Nostrils on the top of a whale's head used to blowout stale air from the whale's lungs.

Breaching: Behavior in which a whale leaps out of the water and lands with a splash.

Cetacea: The large order of animals that includes all whales and dolphins.

Echolocation: The sonar-like use of reflected sound waves to locate food and other objects.

Flippers: Paddlelike forelimbs that help a whale steer through water.

Fluke: Half of a whale's tail. Two flukes together form the whale's flat, rigid tail. The tail moves up and down to propel the whale through water.

Gestation: The amount of time it takes for an animal to develop inside its mother's womb.

Keratin: Continuously growing substance that forms human nails and hair and the baleen of whales.
 
Krill: Tiny, shrimp-like animals that are the main food of many whales and marine animals.

Lob-tailing: Behavior in which a whale raises its fluke out of the water and hits the surface, making a smacking noise.

Migrations: Moving regularly from one area to another.

Monogamous: Having only one mate.

Polar oceans: Cold oceans near the North and South poles.

Rorquals: A special group of baleen whales with pleated throats that expand while feeding.

Spout: Misty spray blown into the air when a whale comes to the surface to breathe.

Spyhopping: Behavior in which a whale raises its head above the surface of the water to look around.

Streamlined: A simplified design to reduce resistance while moving through water or air.

Weaned: When a calf is no longer nursing on its mother's milk.

Blue Whale
Life span of Blue Whales
Blue Whale Facts
Origins of Blue Whales
Origins continued
Blue Whale Diet
Blue Whale behavior
Vocalization of Blue Whales
Blue Whale Habitat
Reproduction of Blue whale
Blue Whale Population
Predators of the Blue Whale
Pictures of blue whales
Blue Whale Watching
Should whale watching be legal?
Save the Whales
Stopping the Hunt
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Whale Glossary
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