Whales have been living on this planet for a very long time facing many problems. One of them is us. We used to kill so many whales that we drove certain species near extinction many times and some people want that to continue. They are mammals like us but live underwater. They breathe like us, they give birth like us, they live with their families and care for each other like us, yet some people think they are stupid creatures who don't feel.
Facts
Killer whales in certain areas eat certain animals. Pacific orcas eat fatty salmon like chinook and chum but nothing smaller. Northern whales eat more seals than fish. On the Coasts of Africa where penguins thrive, Killer whales tend to be right behind and hunt them down. Killer whales live all around the world and can live in most places. Males usually weigh around 6 tons and are about 6-8 meters long. Females weigh around 3-4 tons and are around 5-7 meters long. Killer whales live in the cooler waters around the world where salmon could thrive or where seals could live. Killer whales tend to live in almost all oceans.
Sperm whales are a strange species of whale with the awkward head instead of being rounded it is almost like a square. Sperm whales usually live all around the world but dive very deep into the oceans that there is no more light where they are. In the deep parts of the ocean where they dive to, giant squid try to bring them to their deaths with their tentacles and the suction cups on them to grib on the whales. Usually, the whales manage to kill or injure the assailant. The diet of the Sperm Whale is usually giant squid, colossal and octopuses. They live relatively away from icy waters but stay close to deep waters. The Sperm Whale is also in the path to extinction.
The Humpback Whale often propels itself out of the water with its very strong tail fin and create a giant explosion of water. They also create sound in the water almost like songs. Scientists do not know why whales sing and jump. Possible ideas are they sing because they are trying to attract a mate or talk to each other. Humpback whales are generaly 14 to 19 m long (48 to 62 ft) and weigh around 40 tons (36.3 metric tons or 36 287.4 kilograms (80 000 pounds). They commonly live all around the world but tend to migrate in the summer to cold polar waters for feeding and migrate to warm waters in the winter to breed. The Humpback Whale's diet consists of shrimp, small fish and krill. This whale is farther away from the path to extinction.
The Blue Whale lives in all oceans but only live in the Arctic for feeding during the summer and spring but return to warmer waters when winter comes. Its diet only consists of one food known as krill. They usually eat 4 tons of krill each day! The average life of one of these behemoths is around 80 to 90 years. Around the same as a human or sometimes longer. It weighs around 200 tons (181 437 pounds) and is usually around 25 to 32 m long (82.021 to 104.987 ft long). Its heart weighs around the same as a car and their tongue is known to be as heavy as an elephant.
The Beluga Whale's max length includes 13 to 20 ft long (4 to 6.1 m) and weigh around 2000 to 3000 pounds (1 to 1.5 tons). They live mostly to the North in the Arctic Ocean in the very cold water. They sometimes travel upriver like the St.Lawrence river in the province of Quebec in Canada, but will, most of the time, stay in the gulf of the St.Lawrence. They also tend to live in a large group called a pod with their family members. They feed on fish, crustaceans and worms.
The Grey Whale lives during the Summer days in the Arctic and heads to Mexico's Ocean to escape the cold winters of the Arctic. They also live on the West of Japan near the Gulf of China. The average length of a fully grown adult Grey Whale is around 40-50 ft long (12 to 15 m) and the weight is around 50 000 to 80 000 pounds. Some scientists, with their studies, say grey whales live up to 50 years of age. Its diet consists of tiny shrimps when it migrates to the north and during the summer months may also eat small shrimp and sometimes fish.
The North Atlantic Right Whale has a relatively smaller length than most whales of around 12 to 16 m (43 to 52 ft) and has a good weigh of around 40 000 to 70 000 pounds. They manage to live by feeding on krill and plankton. Such a small food for a large animal! Since this animal has very few of its kind left, this great animal is under protection of a few acts and groups to protect them. Only 400 have been recorded in the West North Atlantic and they are probably extinct in the East North Atlantic. They migrate from the Gulf of Maine to the warm waters of Florida.
The Bowhead Whale is one of the smaller whales compared to the much bigger ones like the Blue Whale. Their max length is max 20 m long (66 ft) and the average weight of 166 000 pounds to 220 000 pounds (83 to 110 tons). Their area of existence is located to the North in the Arctic Ocean and the extreme North of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Like other whales, it feeds on plankton and very small krill.
The Fin Whale has a home in all oceans where there is food available to them. Only where ice is is where they don't go because it is too cold for them. Their diet is built on small fish, small squids and, of course, krill. A problem to a life of a Fin Whale is the constant bullying by Killer Whales. Killer Whales tend to group up and attack defenceless creatures including Fin Whales. The Fin Whale's max length is recorded to 27 m (89 ft) long and weighs around 164 000 pounds (82 tons).
