Why do whales have nostrils on their heads?
The nostrils connect to the lungs and the esophagus connects to the digestive system, so their noses are only used for breathing, not for smelling. The nostrils of modern whales located at the top of the head actually help them survive more effectively and safely than the holes in the front of the mouth when in the ocean.
Where are the hair follicles on a whale?
The location of the hair follicles is similar to the whiskers in terrestrial mammals. They are found along the jawline on the upper and lower jaw, on the chin, along the midline on top of the head, and sometimes along the blowhole. Baleen whales known to have hair follicles as adults include humpback, fin, sei, right, and bowhead whales.
Do toothed whales have hair?
The toothed whales, or odontocetes, are a different story. Most of these whales lose their hair shortly after birth. Before they're born, they have some hairs on the sides of their rostrum or snout. One species, though, has visible hairs as an adult. This is the Amazon river dolphin or boto, which has stiff hairs on its beak.
What are the bumps on a whale's head called?
Each bump has a hair sticking out of it called a vibrissa. These vibrissae are also found around the mouth. They function as tactile sensors, giving the whale a well-developed sense of touch.
What do whales have at the top of their heads?
They breathe through nostrils, called a blowhole, located right on top of their heads. How do whales and dolphins breathe? WDC experts explain. This allows them to take breaths by exposing just the top of their heads to the air while they are swimming or resting under the water.
What do whales have on their heads?
The bumps on the rostrum, or head, and the pectoral fins of a humpback whale are, in fact, hair follicles. Called “tubercles,” these fist-sized bumps contain one hair follicle each, connected to a set of sensitive nerves.
Why do whales have nostrils on top of the head?
As mammals, toothed whales have to breathe air into their lungs. Other mammals can breathe through their mouth, or their nose, which sits right on top of it. In toothed whales, the nasal passage runs up above its eyes, creating a blowhole on top of its head. When it surfaces, it opens the blowhole to breathe.
What is the hole on top of the whales head?
blowholeIn cetology, the study of whales and other cetaceans, a blowhole is the hole (or spiracle) at the top of the head through which the animal breathes air. In baleen whales, these are in pairs. It is homologous with the nostril of other mammals, and evolved via gradual movement of the nostrils to the top of the head.
Does removing barnacles hurt whales?
They don't harm the whales or feed on the whales, like true parasites do.
Can you take barnacles off whales?
No. Whales do not normally attempt to remove barnacles from their bodies by rubbing against ships nor do they attempt to remove barnacles from the hulls of ships. Contact between whales and ships are extremely rare.
What happens if a whale gets water in their blowhole?
Once the blowhole is open, water could theoretically enter the nasal cavities and cause the whale to “swallow a mouthful”. However, the subsequent exhalation should expel the water since a whale's breath is very powerful. Therefore, it should not suffocate.
Why do whales spit out water?
Now when these whales let out these mighty blows they aren't releasing water from their blowhole they are letting out air, because their breath is so powerful it causes the water around its hole to create a cloud of mist.
Do whales have nipples?
Whales and dolphins do not have external nipples, instead their nipples are enclosed within mammary slits. Upon stimulation of the calves nudging, the nipple is exposed and the calf positions itself such that the nipple is at the gape of the calf's jaw for feeding.
What happens if a dolphin gets water in its blowhole?
As dolphins exhale with extreme force it often causes the water surrounding the blowhole to shoot into the air. What is this? If a dolphin tried to inhale the water it would get into the dolphins lungs and possibly cause the dolphin to drown.
What is a whales hole called?
Blowhole : the modified nostril located on the top of a whale or dolphins head. During dives the blowhole is sealed by a nasal plug which is retracted by fast-acting muscles upon surfacing for breathing. Baleen whales have two openings in their blowhole, while toothed whales have only one.
How long can a whale hold its breath?
The longest ever recorded dive by a whale was made by a Cuvier's beaked whale. It lasted 222 minutes and broke the record for diving mammals. Other whales can also hold their breath for a very long time. A sperm whale can spend around 90 minutes hunting underwater before it has to come back to the surface to breathe.
Are whale lice harmful to humans?
The lice predominantly eat algae that settle on the host's body. They usually feed off the flaking skin of the host and frequent wounds or open areas. They cause minor skin damage, but this does not lead to significant illness.
Do whale lice hurt whales?
While hitching a ride, these crustaceans munch on algae and whale skin. Although that might sound like an undesirable situation for a whale, some researchers believe there is no proof that whale lice are damaging to whales, and thus have more of a commensal relationship with their hosts, like barnacles.
What are the things that stick to whales?
For example, if you look closely at the lumps and bumps on the skin of large, slow-moving whales, you might see colonies of one of its most common hitchhikers: barnacles! In the case of barnacles and whales, only the barnacles benefit from attaching to the whales, but at no biological cost to the whale.
Why do whales have barnacles on them?
Whale barnacles passively filter food, using tentacle-like cirri, as the host swims through the water. The arrangement is generally considered commensal as it is done at no cost or benefit to the host.
What does the white arrow on a whale's head mean?
Whale embryos at different developmental stages. The white arrow shows how the nasal cavity shifts position through embryonic development.
What whale clears its blowhole?
A toothed whale clears its blowhole. Photo by Friedrich Frühling
Where is the point of inflexion for toothed whales?
In toothed whales, the point of inflexion for this rotation is in the middle of the head. A bone in the center of the skull changes shape, curving upwards as the nasal passage ends facing up.
Where does the key rotation occur in a whale?
In baleen whales, a key rotation happens at the back of the skull, where it meets the spine. Rather than being perpendicular to the ground, as in the head of a dog, the back of the skull is tilted forward towards the snout.
Do dolphins have noses?
Most of them keep their noses and their mouths in front of their face, but dolphins and whales transform their whole heads to change the direction of their nasal passage while keeping the snout facing forward.
What is the groove on a whale's throat?
Throat grooves are long folds in the skin which expand when they feed. As the whale gulps huge quantities of seawater, the throat bulges like a giant balloon.
How many toothed whales are there?
There are 76 toothed whale species altogether and they are grouped into ten families: the sperm whale; the dwarf and pygmy sperm whale; the beluga and narwhal; the beaked whales; the oceanic dolphins; the four river dolphins (each one is placed in a family of their own); and the porpoise family.
What is the difference between a baleen whale and a toothed whale?
Dolphins and porpoises all have teeth and rather confusingly are known as ‘toothed whales’ too! Another obvious difference between baleen and toothed whales is the number of blowholes on top of their head; baleen whales have two whereas toothed whales have one. There are only 15 baleen whale species and they are generally larger than ...
What are some interesting facts about baleen whales?
Baleen whales - quick facts 1 Consist of four families: rorqual; right; gray; and pygmy right whale. 2 Usually found alone or in in small groups 3 Do not echolocate
How many families of baleen whales are there?
Baleen whales are grouped into four families: rorqual; right; gray; and pygmy right whale. However, the exact number of species (currently 14) and their relationships to one another are still matters of hot debate as scientists are finding what they believe to be new species within species.
What are the sounds of a baleen whale?
Different baleen whales use a variety of sounds including singing, moans and short pulses. Baleen whale group sizes are generally small; they often appear to be alone but are found to be in acoustic contact with others. Large groups of baleen whales are generally uncommon.
Why are gray whales mottled?
They have a bumpy dorsal ridge and no dorsal fin. Gray whales undertake the longest migrations by a mammal species.
What is the hair follicle on a whale's head called?
Of these species, the hair follicles are probably most visible in the humpback whale, which has golf ball-sized bumps on its head, called tubercles, which house the hairs. Within each of these bumps, called tubercles, there is a hair follicle.
What is the hairy structure in a whale's mouth called?
Hairlike Baleen. Baleen whales also have hairlike structures in their mouth called baleen, which is made of keratin, a protein that is also found in hair and nails.
Where Is Hair in Whales?
The location of the hair follicles is similar to the whiskers in terrestrial mammals. They are found along the jawline on the upper and lower jaw, on the chin, along the midline on top of the head, and sometimes along the blowhole. Baleen whales known to have hair follicles as adults include humpback, fin, sei, right, and bowhead whales. Depending on the species, the whale may have 30 to 100 hairs, and there are usually more on the upper jaw than the lower jaw.
Why do whales have hair?
What that is, we don't know. Perhaps they can use them to sense prey - some scientists have suggested that prey may brush against the hairs, and allow the whale to determine when it has found a high enough prey density to begin feeding (if enough fish bump against the hairs it must be time to open up and eat).
What whale has stiff hairs on its beak?
This is the Amazon river dolphin or boto, which has stiff hairs on its beak. These hairs are thought to add to the boto's ability to find food on muddy lake and river bottoms. If you want to get technical, this whale doesn't quite count as marine life, as it lives in fresh water.
What are the characteristics of whales?
Jennifer Kennedy. Updated May 06, 2019. Whales are mammals, and one of the characteristics common to all mammals is the presence of hair.
How many hairs does a baleen whale have?
Baleen whales known to have hair follicles as adults include humpback, fin, sei, right, and bowhead whales. Depending on the species, the whale may have 30 to 100 hairs, and there are usually more on the upper jaw than the lower jaw. Of these species, the hair follicles are probably most visible in the humpback whale, ...
What is the bone in a whale's ear?
In some toothed whales, there is a thin bone found in the fatty deposits , which scientists believe may help to conduct sound to the inner ear.
Why do whales have scars?
Many whales have a scarred look, which is due to the soft skin tearing and ripping. The skin heals fast but leaves scars and scratches.
What is echolocation in whales?
Echolocation is a way of emitting clicks that the whale interprets when it returns. This provides information on what the sounds bounced back from.
How do marine mammals adapt to light?
Marine mammals have adapted to the differences in light intensity between shallow and deep depths. Cetaceans have a large pupil. The large pupil can bring in large amounts of light, helping them see in low light situations.
How does a cetacean adapt to hearing?
The hearing of a cetacean has adapted from hearing in the air to hearing in water and air. As water is denser than air, sound moves about five times as fast in water as it does in air. The difference in density between the water and air makes it more difficult for sound waves to pass between the two.
Why do marine mammals use chemoreception?
Many marine mammals use chemoreception (chemical sensing) to find food, as water is a good carrier for dissolved materials.
What is the difference between a marine and a land mammal's eyes?
Land mammals have spherical eyes , whereas marine mammals have an elliptical eye when underwater. The muscles around the eye allow the lens to change from a spherical shape to an elliptical shape.
What are the callosities of a right whale?
The callosities in right whales are irregular patches of thickened and keratinized tissues. These tissues are habitat for three species of amphipod crustaceans specializing in right whales: Cyamis ovalis and Cyamis gracilis, which are white and are found on normal callosities in healthy individuals and, conversely, Cyamis erraticus, which is orange and is found in the wounds of sick or very young whales. These small crustaceans, also called whale lice or cyamids, feed on the whales’ skin. Incapable of swimming or surviving in the open water, they travel from one whale to another by direct contact.
Where are callosities on a whale?
Appearing at the end of the rostrum, on the lower lips and chin, above the eyes and in front of and behind the blowhole, callosities in right whales are congenital and are not caused by the external environment, as they are already present in the fetus and at various prenatal stages.
Do right whales have callosities?
In conclusion, the function of callosities in right whales remains a mystery . Note: The shape, size and location of these callosities are unique to each individual and are therefore a sort of fingerprint that allows researchers to photo-ID them.
Do males have higher callosities than females?
Some believe that they may be involved in the species’ breeding strategy. It is known that males have a higher proportion of callosities than females. Also, males have already been observed scratching one another with their callosities. They might therefore be used by males during fighting for access to females.
Do cyamids colonize whales?
However, they are not yet fully developed at birth and are not colonized by cyamids before individuals are several months old .The symbiosis between these cyamid species and the right whale is poorly understood by researchers.