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by Rebecca Woodbury M. Ed (Author)
Whales are animals that live only in water. Most whales live in oceans, but a few live in rivers. Whales are mammals: animals that breathe air, feed milk to their babies, and have fur for at least part of their life. Most mammals, including whales, give birth to live babies. Whales are in a group of mammals called cetaceans. Cetaceans spend all their time in water, take in air through blowholes on top of the head, and therefore must come to the surface frequently to breathe. Whales usually travel in groups called pods and talk to each other with clicks, whistles, squeaks, and squawks. There are two types of whales - those that have teeth and those that do not. Whales with teeth have one blowhole and eat fish, squid, crabs, and shrimp. Whales without teeth have two blowholes and baleen bristles instead of teeth. A baleen plate is a comb-like structure that hangs down from the top jaw. The whale takes in a mouthful of water and then pushes the water out through the baleen catching food in the baleen which is then licked off by the whale. The biggest animal on Earth is the blue whale, which is a baleen whale that mainly eats tiny animals called krill. What do you think it is like to live in a part of the world that is so much different from where we live?
A pronunciation guide of scientific terms is included. 24 pages with full color photographs. Reading Level 1-3, Interest Level 2-5, Word count 327, Lexile measure 520L.
