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New England Seabirds Page 1
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Taxonomy
of Whales and Dolphins Page 1 Cetaceans evolved from land animals that returned permanently to living in water. The limbs of Cetaceans have become flippers totally unsuited to walking on land. The nose has migrated from the face to the top of the head so that they can breath in and out without lifting their mouth from the water, an adaptation that any serious swimmer can tell you is valuable. The mouth and digestive track are not connected with the lungs and the air passages unlike our system which allows us to choke on a piece of food. The Cetaceans can be divided into two suborders: the Baleen
Whales, and the Toothed Whales (includes
dolphins and porpoise).
Baleen Whales Suborder Mysticeti |
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This photograph by Peter Trull of the open mouth of a Humpback Whale
shows the baleen plates that hang from the upper jaw and the expanded
throat groves which shows the whale has been swimming through the water
with its mouth open capturing both food prey and water. It is so interesting that some of the largest animals on earth feed
on small prey like plankton and small fish. In order to survive
the large filter feeding whales need schools of prey. They
certainly cannot catch sand eels one fish at a time. Fishing using
large drag nets scatters the schools of fish and deprives whales of
their livelihood forcing them to move on. |
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Left: Lauren Kraus photo of Humpback Whale with mouth almost fully closed and throat pleats expanded. Whale is now squeezing the water through the baleen plates catching the food and expelling the water. Right: Humpback Whale breech showing the throat pleats that expand
when filled with water and food. Photo by Emmalee Tarry
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Two Blow Holes on top of head
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Four Families of Mysticeti or Baleen Whales
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Toothed Whales Suborder OdontocetiThe Suborder Odontoceti includes: Toothed whales, dolphins, and
porpoises. All have teeth of some variety although not
necessarily used for chewing and not visible in the water. One blow hole
rather than two. Kinze (1994) |
![]() Baby Atlantic White-sided Dolphin photographed by Leonard Medlock and showing that dolphins have a single blow hole on top of their heads. |
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