Whales (Classification Essay)

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Marlaine S. Duenas September 6, 2012 EN 101-02 Three Types of Toothed Whales Three types of toothed whales are the sperm whales, beaked whales, and Belugas. The first type of whale is the sperm whales. Sperm whales have “huge, square-shaped” heads and their “lower jaw is long and extremely thin”(Wursig 258). “In adult male sperm whales the head makes up about 35% of the total length” (Brownell 682). The blowhole of a sperm whale “is found far forward on the left side of the head with a spout that comes out at a sharp angle from the head and toward the left” (Brownell 682).Sperm whales have a wrinkled appearance (Brownell 682).“They has 18 to 25 peglike teeth one each side”(Wursig 258). The “adult male sperm whales measure up to 36 to 65 feet” while the “adult female sperm whales measure up to 28 to 41 feet” (Brownell 682).“Almost all sperm whales live only in tropical and mild water” (Wursig 258).Their daily intake of food consists of large squids, “certain fishes, such as cod, skate, barracuda, and shark”(Wursig 258). Another type of toothed whales is the beaked whales.Beaked whales “have a beaklike snout and only two or four teeth in the lower jaw” (Wursig 258) and “the upper teeth are absent or vestigial” (Brownell 682a). “Beaked whales are of medium size,” (Brownell 682a) “some kinds grow only about 12 feet long, but others reach 42 feet” (Wursig 258).“There are 18 known species of beaked whales” (Wursig 258). “Beaked whales live in all the oceans”(Wursig 258), but some of the beaked whales “species live in the deep waters” (Wursig 258). Beaked whales nourishmostly on several squids and certain fishes(Brownell 682a). Very little is known about this group of whales for they are hardly detected and hard to find at sea (Brownell 682a). The last type of tooth whale is the Belugas. “Belugas are white or yellow-tan when their fully grown and are often called

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