Whales are the largest species of exclusively aquatic mammals, members of the order Cetacea, which also includes dolphins and porpoises. They are the largest mammals, the largest vertebrates, and the largest animals in the world. The term whale is ambiguous: it can refer to all cetaceans, to just the larger ones, or only to members of particular families within the order Cetacea. The latter definition is the one followed here. Whales are those cetaceans which are neither dolphins (i.e. members of the families Delp ...

Including:

• Whale - Origins and taxonomy
• Whale - Anatomy
• Whale - Behaviour
• Whale - Whale intelligence
• Whale - Whales and Humans
• Whale - Whales in culture

Read more here: » Whale: Encyclopedia - Whale

Including:

• Whaling - The history of whaling
• Whaling - Modern Whaling
• Whaling - International Whaling Commission
• Whaling - Whaling nations
• Whaling - The arguments for and against whaling
• Whaling - Conservation status
• Whaling - Organic growth; Method of killing
• Whaling - The economic argument
• Whaling - Intelligence
• Whaling - Fishing

Read more here: » Whaling: Encyclopedia - Whaling

Main article Whaling Most species of large whales are endangered as a result of large-scale whaling during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. For centuries large whales have been hunted for oil, meat, baleen and ambergris (a perfume ingredient from the intestine of sperm whales). Until the middle of the 20th century, whaling left many populations nearly or fully extinct. The International Whaling Commission introduced an open ended moratorium on all commercial whaling in 1986. For various reasons some exceptions to this mo ...

See also:

Whale, Whale - Origins and taxonomy, Whale - Anatomy, Whale - Behaviour, Whale - Whale intelligence, Whale - Whales and Humans, Whale - Whales in culture

Read more here: » Whale: Encyclopedia II - Whale - Whales and Humans

For more material in this area, focusing more on dolphins, see cetacean intelligence. Many people believe that cetaceans in general, and whales in particular, are highly intelligent animals. This belief has become a central argument against whaling (killing whales for food or other commercial reasons). There is no universally agreed definition of "intelligence." One commonly used definition is "the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly and learn from experience ...

See also:

Whale, Whale - Origins and taxonomy, Whale - Anatomy, Whale - Behaviour, Whale - Whale intelligence, Whale - Whales and Humans, Whale - Whales in culture

Read more here: » Whale: Encyclopedia II - Whale - Whale intelligence

 Balaena mysticetus, Bowhead Whale  Eubalaena australis, Southern Right Whale  Eubalaena glacialis, Atlantic Northern Right Whale  Eubalaena japonica, Pacific Northern Right Whale The right whales are marine mammals belonging to the family Balaenidae, which contains four species in two genera: Eubalaena — three species of right whale (which are discussed below), and Balaena — the Bowhead Whale. Right whale - Ta ...

Including:

• Right whale - Taxonomy
• Right whale - Other names
• Right whale - Physical description
• Right whale - Whaling
• Right whale - Diet
• Right whale - Population and distribution
• Right whale - Hearing
• Right whale - Whale watching
• Right whale - Conservation

Read more here: » Right whale: Encyclopedia - Right whale

Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales of the genus Balaena, as B. mysticetus, Greenland or right whale (northern whale-oil), B. australis (southern whale-oil), Balaenoptera longimana, Balaenoptera borealis (Finback oil, Finner whale-oil, Humpback oil). The orca or killer whale, and the beluga or white whale, also yield whale-oils. Train-oil proper is the northernwhale-oil, but this term has been applied to all blubber oils, and in Germany, to all marine animal oils: fish-oils, liver oils, and blubber oils. The most important whale-oil is sperm ...

Read more here: » Whale oil: Encyclopedia - Whale oil

Whale fall is the term used for a whale carcass that has fallen to the ocean floor. When a whale dies in shallow water, its carcass is typically devoured by scavengers over a relatively short period of time - within several months. However, in deeper water (depths of 2000m or greater), fewer scavenger species exist, and the carcass can provide sustenance for a complex localized ecosystem over periods of up to 100 years. Some of the organisms that have been observed at whale falls are lobsters, crabs, sea cucumbers, octopuses, a ...

Read more here: » Whale fall: Encyclopedia - Whale fall

Japan catches hundreds of whales every year, mainly from the South Pacific population of Minke Whales. The purpose of this killing is hotly, and perhaps irreconcilably, disputed by the pro- and anti- whaling lobbies. Currently, the Japanese Government and those who manage its whaling activities, say the whaling is for scientific research. Those opposed to Japanese whaling, such as the governments of Australia, the United States and other western countries, say the whaling is a t ...

Including:

• Whaling in Japan - History
• Whaling in Japan - Japanese whaling since the suspension of commercial whaling
• Whaling in Japan - Whales taken by Japan while not bound by IWC suspension
• Whaling in Japan - Whales taken under Special Permit scientific whaling

Read more here: » Whaling in Japan: Encyclopedia - Whaling in Japan

Balaenidae Balaenopteridae Eschrichtiidae Neobalaenidae Scientifically known as the Mysticeti, the baleen whales, also called whalebone whales or great whales, form a suborder of the order cetacea. The distinguishing feature between this suborder and the toothed whales is that baleen whales have baleen plates instead of teeth in the upper jaw, which enables them to filter food from water. Teeth are present only during the embryonal phase, except for fossil b ...

Including:

• Baleen whale - Feeding
• Baleen whale - Behaviour
• Baleen whale - Movement
• Baleen whale - Breaching
• Baleen whale - Sound
• Baleen whale - Miscellaneous
• Baleen whale - Taxonomic classification

Read more here: » Baleen whale: Encyclopedia - Baleen whale

Berardius Hyperoodon Indopacetus Mesoplodon Tasmacetus Ziphius A beaked whale is any of at least 20 species of small whale in the family Ziphiidae. They are one of the least-known families of large mammals: several species have only been described in the last two decades, and it is entirely possible that more remain as yet undiscovered. Six genera have been identified. Three of these, Indopacetus, the Hyperoodon and the Mesoplodon, are united in a s ...

Read more here: » Beaked whale: Encyclopedia - Beaked whale

A beached whale is a whale which has become stranded on land, usually on a beach. Beaching is often fatal for whales, as they become dehydrated and die. Some die when their lungs are suffocated under their own weight or drown when high tides cover their blowholes. Humans sometimes try to save beached whales; however, such efforts are not always successful. Beached whale - Causes. The cause of beaching is not definitively known. However, there is some evidence that anti-submarine warfare sonar and other unde ...

Including:

• Beached whale - Causes
• Beached whale - Carcass

Read more here: » Beached whale: Encyclopedia - Beached whale

The Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. It is believed to be the largest animal ever to have lived, at up to 30 metres (100 feet) in length and 140 tonnes (150 short tons) or more in weight. Blue Whales were abundant in most oceans around the world up until the beginning of the 20th century. For the first 40 years of that century they were hunted by whalers almost to extinction. Hunting of the species was outlawed by the international community in 1966. The cu ...

Including:

• Blue Whale - Taxonomy and evolution
• Blue Whale - Physical description
• Blue Whale - Size
• Blue Whale - Feeding
• Blue Whale - Life cycle
• Blue Whale - Vocalisations
• Blue Whale - Population and whaling
• Blue Whale - The hunting era
• Blue Whale - Population and distribution today
• Blue Whale - Media
• Blue Whale - Notes

Read more here: » Blue Whale: Encyclopedia - Blue Whale

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a distinctively-marked member of the subclass Elasmobranchii of the class Chondrichthyes. It is the largest shark and also the largest fish. Whale shark - Naming. The species was first identified in 1828 off the coast of South Africa. The family Rhincodontidae was not finalized until 1984. The name "Whale shark" comes from the sharks' large size. Whale shark - Distribution and habitat. The whale shark inhabits the world's ...

Including:

• Whale shark - Naming
• Whale shark - Distribution and habitat
• Whale shark - Anatomy and appearance
• Whale shark - Diet
• Whale shark - Behaviour
• Whale shark - Reproduction
• Whale shark - Importance to humans

Read more here: » Whale shark: Encyclopedia - Whale shark

Whale Fest is an annual celebration of marine wildlife and specifically cetaceans in the Sitka, Alaska area. Whale Fest - About. Whale Fest occurs in November every year in Sitka with the event primarily having a local focus. Many guest speakers and researchers are brought in for an information-packed weekend of whale watching cruises, presentations, sea chantey concerts, a road race beginning at Sitka's Whale Park, and even a mini-marine art show! The University of Alaska Southeast offers credit fo ...

Including:

• Whale Fest - About
• Whale Fest - External link

Read more here: » Whale Fest: Encyclopedia - Whale Fest

The Beluga Whale or White Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-arctic species of cetacean. This marine mammal is commonly referred to simply as the Beluga - the word derives from the Russian beloye meaning white. Beluga whale - Taxonomy and evolution. The Beluga was first described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1776. It is a member of the Monodontidae taxonomic family alongside the Narwhal. The Irrawaddy Dolphin was also once considered to be in the same family th ...

Including:

• Beluga whale - Taxonomy and evolution
• Beluga whale - Naming
• Beluga whale - Physical description
• Beluga whale - Distribution
• Beluga whale - Behaviour
• Beluga whale - Population and human interaction

Read more here: » Beluga whale: Encyclopedia - Beluga whale

The Whale Rider is a 1987 book by New Zealand Maori author Witi Tame Ihimaera. The 2003 movie Whale Rider is an adaptation of the book, with the author's involvement. It was released in New Zealand on January 30, 2003. The world premiere was on September 9, 2002, at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Whale Rider - Plot. The movie's plot follows the story of twelve-year-old Pai (or Kahu, in the book), who is the only living child in the line of the tribe's chiefly succession be ...

Including:

• The Whale Rider - Plot
• The Whale Rider - Production and awards
• The Whale Rider - Controversy
• The Whale Rider - Cast

Read more here: » The Whale Rider: Encyclopedia - The Whale Rider

Whales exhibit various types of physical behaviour when they surface. This article describes the different behaviours commonly observed at sea and the possible reasons for the behaviour. Whale behaviour - Breaching lunging and porpoising. A breach or a lunge is a leap out of the water. The act of leaping generates more power than any other act performed by a non-human animal. The distinction between the two is fairly arbitrary. Cetacean researcher Hal Whitehead chooses to define a breac ...

Including:

• Whale behaviour - Breaching lunging and porpoising
• Whale behaviour - Spyhopping
• Whale behaviour - Lobtailing and slapping

Read more here: » Whale behaviour: Encyclopedia - Whale behaviour

All three of the current major whaling nations (Norway, Japan and Iceland) have large and growing whale watching industries. Indeed Iceland had the fastest-growing whale watching industry in the world between 1994 and 1998. Many conservationists now espouse the economic argument that a whale is worth more alive and watched than dead in order to try to persuade the governments of whaling nations to curtail whaling activities. The correctness of this argument is the subject of much debate at the International Whaling Commission, particu ...

See also:

Whale watching, Whale watching - History, Whale watching - Today, Whale watching - Regulation, Whale watching - Locations, Whale watching - Whaling and whale watching, Whale watching - Conservation aspects, Whale watching - Orca calls off Washington

Read more here: » Whale watching: Encyclopedia II - Whale watching - Whaling and whale watching

Although whale oil has little commercial value today, whale meat has come to be considered a delicacy, particularly in Japan and Norway (though up to the 1980's, whale meat was considered to be inferior to beef in Norway.) The primary species hunted today is the Minke Whale, the smallest of the baleen whales. Recent scientific surveys estimate a population of 180,000 in the central and North East Atlantic and 700,000 around Antarctica. Whaling - International Whaling Commission. Main art ...

See also:

Whaling, Whaling - The history of whaling, Whaling - Modern Whaling, Whaling - International Whaling Commission, Whaling - Whaling nations, Whaling - The arguments for and against whaling, Whaling - Conservation status, Whaling - Organic growth; Method of killing, Whaling - The economic argument, Whaling - Intelligence, Whaling - Fishing

Read more here: » Whaling: Encyclopedia II - Whaling - Modern Whaling

Although whale oil has little commercial value today, whale meat has come to be considered a delicacy, particularly in Japan and Norway. The primary species hunted today is the Minke Whale, the smallest of the baleen whales. Recent scientific surveys estimate a population of 180,000 in the central and North East Atlantic and 700,000 around Antarctica. Whaling - International Whaling Commission. Main art ...

See also:

Whaling, Whaling - The history of whaling, Whaling - Modern Whaling, Whaling - International Whaling Commission, Whaling - Whaling nations, Whaling - The arguments for and against whaling, Whaling - Conservation status, Whaling - Organic growth; Method of killing, Whaling - The economic argument, Whaling - Intelligence, Whaling - Fishing

Read more here: » Whaling: Encyclopedia II - Whaling - Modern Whaling