UL (upper-left): FIN WHALE (Balaenoptera physalus).
"The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), also called the finback whale, razorback, or common rorqual, is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. It is the second longest whale and the sixth largest living animal after the blue whale, bowhead whale, and right whales,[3]growing to nearly 27 metres (88 ft) long.[3] The American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews called the fin whale "the greyhound of the sea" because of its great speed when chased and slender build."
UR: BLUE WHALE (Balaenoptera musculus).
"The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales (called Mysticeti).[3] At 30 metres (98 ft)[4] in length and 180 metric tons (200 short tons)[5] or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed.[6]
Long and slender, the blue whale's body can be various shades of bluish-grey dorsally and somewhat lighter underneath.[7] There are at least three distinct subspecies: B. m. musculus of the North Atlantic and North Pacific, B. m. intermedia of the Southern Ocean and B. m. brevicauda(also known as the pygmy blue whale) found in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean. B. m. indica, found in the Indian Ocean, may be another subspecies. As with other baleen whales, its diet consists almost exclusively of small crustaceans known as krill."
LL: HUMPBACK WHALE (Megaptera novaeangliae).
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12–16 metres (39–52 ft) and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms (79,000 lb). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the water. Males produce a complex song, which lasts for 10 to 20 minutes and is repeated for hours at a time. The purpose of the song is not yet clear, although it appears to have a role in mating.""Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 kilometres (16,000 mi) each year. Humpbacks feed only in summer, in polar waters, and migrate totropical or sub-tropical waters to breed and give birth in the winter. During the winter, humpbacksfast and live off their fat reserves. The species' diet consists mostly of krill and small fish. Humpbacks have a diverse repertoire of feeding methods, including the bubble net feeding technique."
LR: SOUTHERN BOTTLENOSE WHALE (Hyperoodon planifrons) .
"The Southern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon planifrons) is a species of whale, in the ziphiid family, one of two members of the Hyperoodon genus. The southern bottlenose has been rarely observed, was seldom hunted, and is probably the most abundant whale in Antarctic waters."
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6 comments:
A whale of a post!
Beautiful! Once in a whale, really quite often, I am amazed. I think you do it on porpoise.
Beautiful mammals. Great cards and delightful stamps. Thanks for the back-up information.
Nice to be whale watching with you. Such awesome creatures.
I am late in commenting b/c of a huge windstorm here. I was without electricity (and no internet!) for 36 hours. thanks for the whales. sad that the most abundant whale is the one that was rarely hunted.
Wonderful post. I used to own a pink Habitat shirt w/ all species of whale and I really loved that shirt. Too bad, it got too worn out and I can't wear it anymore because I used to wear it before like every other 3 days. :P
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