Download What is a Whale - 2abilingue2008

What is a
?
For oral presentation follow the general outline used in other occasions
Whales are large, magnificent, intelligent, aquatic mammals. They breathe air
through blowhole(s) into lungs (unlike fish who breathe using gills).
Like all mammals:
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Whales breathe air into lungs,
Whales have hair (although they have a lot less than land mammals,
and have almost none as adults),
Whales are warm-blooded (they maintain a high body temperature),
Whales have mammary glands with which they nourish their young,
Whales have a four-chambered heart.
SIZE
WEIGHT
MIGRATION
Many ceteaceans, especially baleen whales, migrate over very long distances
each year. They travel, sometimes in groups (pods), from cold-water feeding
grounds to warm-water breeding grounds.
SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
Cetaceans have very strong social ties. The strongest social ties are between
mother and calf. A social group of whales is called a pod.
REPRODUCTION
Cetaceans give birth to live young which are nourished with milk from their
mothers - they don't lay eggs The gestation times range from 9-18 months.
DANGERS
FEEDING
OTHER COMMENTS
Glossary:
A pod is a social group of whales
Dolphin Anatomy: Label Me!
Dolphin Information
Read the definitions, then label the dolphin diagram below.
beak - the elongated part of the mouth and
jaws
blowhole - the hole on the top of the head
through which the dolphin breathes air (it is
the dolphin's nostril)
dorsal fin - the fin on the upper side of the
body
ear - hearing organs located on the head
behind the eye
eye - sight organs located on the head
fluke - one half of the tail
flipper - one of a pair of wide, flat
forelimbs that is used for swimming
median notch - the indentation between
the two flukes
melon - the rounded structure in the top
of the dolphin's head just in front of the
blowhole
Dolphin Find It! Name_______________________________________
Quiz
 The student will use Little Explorers to answer the questions in the print-out. For example, if the letter
hint is "K," the student should go to the "K" page in Little Explorers picture Dictionary (by clicking on
the "K" at the top of the dictionary page). The student should then try to find the word in the dictionary
that answers the question.
 This activity works well with small groups (2-3 students at each computer) competing against other
groups in an online "scavenger hunt."
Use the Little Explorers picture dictionary to answer the following questions.
1. This word starts with an "M." Dolphins belong to this group of animals that are
warm-blooded, have hair, and nourish their young with milk. What is this group called?
____________________
2. Look up the word dolphin. Are dolphins a type of fish or a type of whale?
____________________
3. This word starts with an "A." Dolphins breathe this substance through a blowhole and
into their lungs. What is it? ___________________
4. This word starts with an "F." While swimming through the water, dolphins steer
using these. What are they? ___________________
5. This word starts with a "C." Dolphins are meat-eaters. What is another word for this
term? ______________________
6. This word starts with an "F." What type of animals do dolphins eat?
___________________
7. This word starts with a "T." Dolphins have these in their mouth - they are used to
catch their prey. What are they called? _______________________
8. This word starts with an "F." Dolphins swim by moving their tail up and down What
is another word for a dolphin's (or other whale's) tail fin? _______________________
9. This word starts with an "S." Dolphins can sense their prey even in dark or murky
water. What is this ability called? _______________________
10. This word starts with a "P." Dolphins often live in small groups. What is the word
for a group of dolphins (or whales)? _______________________