What are the largest sea mammals?


The Largest Mammals



A humpback whale swims near the top of the water. From time to time, it comes up for fresh air, filling its lungs. Then the whale dives down again. A few minutes later, it surfaces once more, and whoosh! the whale blows used air through the blowhole on top of its head. It breathes in again and dives.



Whales live in the water and look like fish, but they are really mammals. They are warm-blooded and feed their babies with mother’s milk. They don’t have gills like fish - they have lungs. That’s why they must come to the surface for air.



Big whales eat big things, right? Well, not all whales do. The throats of many whales are too small to swallow anything bigger than an orange! And many whales have no teeth. Baleen whales, such as right whales, gray whales, and rorquals, strain food from the water through hundreds of thin plates in their mouths. These whales eat plankton, which is made up of tiny plants and animals.



Toothed whales include sperm whales, belugas, and narwhals; dolphins and porpoises; and killer whales. These whales are meat eaters. Favorite meals include squid, crabs, lobsters, sharks, cod, and skates.



Picture Credit : Google


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