Portal:Cetaceans
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Cetaceans evolved from land mammals that adapted to marine life about 50 million years ago. Over a period of a few millions of years during the Eocene, the cetaceans returned to the sea. Their body is fusiform (spindle-shaped), the forelimbs are modified into flippers, the tiny hindlimbs are vestigial and the tail has horizontal flukes. Cetaceans are nearly hairless, and are insulated by a thick layer of blubber.
Cetaceans inhabit all of the world's oceans, as well as some freshwater lakes and rivers in South America, North America, and Asia. Some species, like the Orca, or Killer Whale, can be found across the globe.
Cetology is the branch of marine science associated with the study of cetaceans.
The program has been dogged by controversy over the treatment of the animals and speculation as to the nature of its mission and training. This has been due at least in part to the secrecy of the program, which was de-classified in the early 1990s. Since that time there have been ongoing animal welfare concerns, with many opposing the use of marine mammals in military applications, even in essentially non-combatant roles such as mine detection. The Navy cites external oversight, including ongoing monitoring, in defence of its animal care standards.
More on the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program
- 9 February - Japanese whaling operations in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary are disrupted by two Sea Shepherd ships. Read more...
- 31 January - Princess Cruises pleads guilty to killing a pregnant Humpback Whale in Alaska. Read more...
- 17 January - Greenpeace looks for 30,000 campaigners to help stop whaling through an online "recruitment drive". Read more...
- 13 December - The Baiji, or Chinese River Dolphin, is declared functionally extinct. Read more...
- 4 December - According to Xinhua News Agency, a month-long, 30-member expedition to survey the Yangtze River has failed, and the Chinese River Dolphin may be extinct. Read more...
- ...the Humpback Whales song is produced by them forcing air through their massive nasal cavities
- ...baleen from the Mysticeti whales mouths was used to stiffen parts of women's stays and dresses, like corsets
- ...the Sperm Whale was named after the milky-white substance spermaceti found in its head and originally mistaken for sperm.
- ...the Beluga Whale's milkfat is so high, the calf gains up to 2 kilograms per day on the diet. It is so fatty that the colour is green.
- ...the Blue Whale has the largest penis of any animal on earth, estimated at over 2 m (more than 6½ feet)
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The Fin Whale, at 27 metres long, is the second largest whale and animal after the Blue Whale. It is found in all the world's major oceans, and in waters ranging from the polar to the tropical. It is absent only from waters close to the ice pack at both the north and south poles and relatively small areas of water away from the large oceans.
More on Fin Whales
- A Blue Whale song (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Recorded in the Atlantic (3)
- A Humpback Whale song, (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Recorded by the National Park Service, using a hydrophone that is anchored near the mouth of Glacier Bay, Alaska for the purpose of monitoring ambient noise.
- Humpback Whale Song (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Made by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Problems playing the files? See media help.
Subcategories of Cetaceans:
The content you are reading was created by Wikipedia volunteers. See the WikiProject Cetaceans for more.
Related WikiProjects include:
See also Wikispecies, a Wikimedia project dedicated to the classification of species.
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