Learn the Types of Whales
- Before you Go -
Whale Watching!

Learning about the types of whales before you go whale-watchingis a good idea and it's always interesting to get to know the various kinds of whales

.....to fully appreciate these magnificent animals - when you seen them in the wild.


All whales belong to two groups depending on how they get their food. One type of whale has Teeth, and the other types of whales have a sieve-like structure called a Baleen

Whales or Cetaceans as you might have heard them called are warm-blooded mammals. They breath air, give birth and nurse live young as we do......

.....only their world exists underwater - aside from the occasional "spy-hop" to see what we humans are up to, or an exuberant leap in the air to really get a good look around!

Types of Whales

Toothed Whales

The types of whales called Orcas or Killer Whales have two distinct species in their group - one that eats only fish, and the other that only eats mammals.

The fish eating Beluga Whale is of the Toothed type of whale as is the Sperm Whale whose main diet is giant squid, and is the diet of all the types of whales of the beaked whale family - such as the Cuvier's Beaked Whale.

The Narwhal is also a Toothed type of whale that feeds on flat fish and squid.

Baleen Whales

These types of whales sift this food through this Baleen which are stiff plates of hairs that hang from their upper jaws. This Baleen is made from Keratin - like our own fingernails.

Among the Baleen whales are the Gray Whales, that scrape the ocean floor and use their Baleen to sift out sand, water and small sea animals from the ocean floor.

The Blue Whale is also a Baleen feeder, as are the Humpback Whales, the Minke Whales and Right Whales as well as the Bowhead Whales.

Each whale in this Baleen family also has a very distinct way of feeding while using their Baleens for staining out their food from the large quantity of water they gulp up at the same time.

Here is a rare video clip of a Gray Whale opening his mouth and showing it's Baleen. In fact this lady is actually rubbing her hand all along the whales Baleen ....

What an incredible experience!

Notice the white color of the Baleen - it's this sieve-like structure hanging from the whale's jawline that all Baleen types of whales use by pushing their tongues against it to strain out small sea creatures like krill and plankton.



Baleen Whales are:

• - generally are larger than the Toothed whales.
• - have two blowholes - one next to the other on top of their heads.
• - females are larger than the males in each Baleen whale.
• - usually solitary - but occasionally travel or feed in groups.
• - baleen grows continuously like our fingernails. It is smooth on the outer side and hairy on the inner edge - about 1/4 inch apart - so it creates a perfect mesh-like strainer for trapping prey and filtering out the sea water with their tongues.

- Toothed Whales Species -

• - Orca Whales or (Killer Whales)
• - Beluga Whales
• - Sperm Whales
• - Beaked Whales - all Beaked Whale species
• - Narwhal Whales
• - Pilot Whales

- Baleen Whales Species -

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• - Humpback Whales
• - Gray Whales
• - Blue Whales
• - Fin Whales
• - Right Whales- including Southern and Northern
• - Minki Whales
• - Bowhead Whales
• - Sei Whales
• - Bryde's Whales

The more you learn about each species of Whale you are likely to see on your next Whale Watching trip - the more amazing it will be to you - when one jumps out of the water - right before your eyes!






- go to - Facts about Whales for answers to interesting questions such as...

• - How do whales Sleep?
• - Whale Attacks on Humans?
• - Why do whales Sing?
• - and much, much more..... under - 20 Questions & Facts about Whales.

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(Pictures courtesy of Wickipedia - Flicker killer whale photo by erickogan.)