What is the difference between whales and dolphins

The name is deceiving, as it is not a whale but its size is similar to many of the bigger whales and it filter feeds like baleen whales as well. It is a shark, and the largest fish in the ocean, reaching as long as a school bus and between metres in length and is not dangerous to humans, but in fact very docile.

A dolphin fish, also called Mahi Mahi, is a fish that lives in schools in the tropics. It is a misleading name, as it is not related to dolphins at all. It has a narrow body, a high profile head and a high dorsal fin that runs almost the full length of the fish.

It can grow to a maximum size of 2 metres, and lives in temperate, tropical and sub-tropical seas worldwide. One theory is that underwater, the dolphin and dolphin fish make similar high-pitched noises to communicate. Therefore, the dolphin fish may get its name because of this dolphin-like trait. Dolphins display a range of care giving behaviours that include showing support to stressed, injured and dying members in their pod.

Their behaviour around a dying member can be associated with the feelings of grief and loss. It is thought that all dolphin species display this behaviour, which is also common in other mammals and birds. Bottlenose dolphin and orca mothers have been observed continuously pushing their deceased calf with the rostrum or melon head? They also displayed erratic behaviours such as repeatedly surfacing sideways.

Sometimes this behaviour is prolonged for a few days. Scientists observed J35 morning her calf for 17 days, after which she dropped her dead calf. Even though human interactions with dolphins is highly discouraged for the safety and wellbeing of dolphins and humans, special human-dolphin interactions date back thousands of years. One type of interaction is cooperative fishing, where dolphins assist human fishers by herding schools of fish into the shallows.

The indigenous people of Minjerribah, also known as North Stradbroke Island in Australia, used to fish in association with dolphins. The fishers would be standing at the beach on the edge of the water holding their nets and spears while waiting for the fish at Amity Point.

As soon as a school of fish approached, the fishers holding the spears would enter the water and start striking it with their spears as a signal for the dolphins to start herding the fish towards the beach.

The other fishers would then rush in with their nets to catch the fish. The echo from the sound waves the dolphin sends out bounces back to the animal to help it find its way around in the ocean. The echolocation sound can sometimes be so piercing that it will stun other whales. Tamiya King has been writing for over a decade, particularly in the areas of poetry and short stories.

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By using the site, you agree to the uses of cookies and other technology as outlined in our Policy, and to our Terms of Use. What Is a Baby Whale Called? Baby Killer Whale Facts. Within the Cetacea order are two suborders:. The Delphinidae oceanic dolphins and Phocoenidae porpoises families belong to the toothed whales. While dolphins and porpoises belong to separate families, with differences in looks and genetics from whales, all dolphins and porpoises can be considered whales taxonomically, but not all whales are dolphins or porpoises.

This is especially true for the baleen whales which are some of the largest animals on the planet, like Blue and Fin Whales, and the larger toothed whales such as the Sperm Whale. Beyond size, the following are other characteristics that separate whales from dolphins and porpoises. The first difference is the size of their dorsal fins relative to their body size.

While dolphins tend to have well-defined dorsal fins, whales comparatively have tiny or even no dorsal fin such as the Beluga Whale. The second difference can be found in their neck vertebrae. Whales have evolved over time to have fused neck vertebrae — an adaptation that helps them to support the weight of their heads, while some dolphins have flexible necks.

Having teeth differentiates dolphins from whales in more ways than simple dentition. Dolphins will prey on fish and squid that they can grasp with their teeth, while baleen whales prey upon tiny crustaceans like krill and copepods. This also means dolphins have evolved different strategies for gathering food.

Dolphins rely heavily on the use of echolocation for hunting and navigation, where baleen whale songs are used for communication. There are several differences between their blowholes.

Whales echolocate with big clicks and tiny amounts of air. Word Find. Learn more about whales and dolphins through crossword puzzles, coloring sheets and other activities from Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

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