The Whale
General Characteristics
Whale Species
Of all the earth's animals, none is more fascinating than the whales, members of the order Cetacea. Although whales spend their lives in the sea, they are warm-blooded mammals. And just like land mammals, whale calves nurse on their mothers' milk.
One species of whale, the great Blue whale, is the largest creature that has ever
lived. Larger than the largest of ancient dinosaurs, blue whales can
grow to be more than 100 feet long and weigh more than 150 tons. Of course, not
all whales are as large as the great blue. The Pilot whale, for example, grows
to about 28 feet. And those popular members of the whale family, porpoises,
range from 3 to 13 feet in length. To learn more about whales in general,
or individual species, click on one of the topics below.
For more information about whales and other wildlife in danger visit the Whale Conservation Institute and the National Wildlife Federation!
Copyright Whales, LLC 1996.