TOOTHED WHALES

DOLPHIN

THIS ARTICLE HAD BEEN WRITTEN TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE STILL ONGOING SLAUGHTER 

OF THESE MAGNIFICENT ANIMALS WHICH WILL LEAD TO 

THEIR EXTINCTION EVENTUALLY.

Toothed whales have one nostril and a beak with a row of pointed teeth which is typical of the family. Dolphins belong to the family of ocean hunters, although, they are acrobatic, friendly, intelligent and funny. Their relatives are ruthless killer whale, the gigantic sperm whale and the narwhal which is the unicorn of the Arctic.

Up to 18th century they were thought of as fish because they use fin power and ahave the same swimming way. However, whales have lungs and breathe air. Also they are warm blooded, their young one is born live and they suckle. They have 76 species and 10 belong to a subspecies Odontoceti - toothed whales. The others are baleen whales. Then there are six toothed whales - river dolphins (Platanistidae), dolphins (Delphinidae), porpoises (Phocoenidae), white whales (Monodotidae), sperm whales (Physeteridae) and beaked whales (Ziphiidae).

WHITE WHALE

SPERM WHALE

In the toothed whales family the small ones are known as dolphins and porpoises and the big ones are whales. They all are sleek and streamlined for speed.  It is hard to tell them apart. They have a single blow-hole to breath and a distinctive dorsal fin. Only the sperm whale, beluga and narwhal do not have a dorsal fin.

The toothed whales have about 38 species and most of them are porpoises and dolphins. These two families are alike but the porpoises are mainly living around the coast and the dolphins live in deeper water. Dolphins have a beak and with a row of pointed teeth. The porpoises have rounded snout and their teeth are flat like a spade. Many dolphins have a bulbous swelling on their head which is assumed to focus sounds when navigating and communicating.

PORPOISE

The colour of porpoises is grey or black with a lighter belly. Dolphins are either plain, patchy or black and white. The porpoises have various foods. Fin-less porpoises are eating prawns, common porpoises eat shoaling fish like herring and sardines and the Dall's porpoises eats hake, and several kinds of squid. Most of the dolphins catch fish with their toothed beak. Species with rounded snouts and fewer teeth eat squid. Dusky dolphins herd anchovies, driving to the surface and then there is no escape. Bottle-nosed dolphins catch open-sea fish and fish which live on the sea-bed. Their echo-located clicks and ultra-sonic frequencies enable them to discover the flatfish under the sandy seabed.

Dolphins live in a herd and the structure alters all the time because dolphins come and go. The open-sea species may have a herd of several hundred.  Large groups cooperating to catch fish and have frenzy attack on the dense concentrations of fish. Within the herd there is a lot of mating going on and nudging and toughing with flippers. Also swimming belly to belly had been observed quiet often. Fights break out and chases. Dolphins also tell each other off with ferocious loud clicks.

KILLER WHALE

The killer whale is the largest dolphin. Up to 10m long and in black and white, very distinctive. The male is larger than the female. The killer whale lives in a stable family group called pods. It has an adult male and several female and young ones. A pod also can be of young male only. Its diet is fish and squid but also known to eat seabirds. It is the only whale to prey on other marine mammals as well as seals. A group of killer whales attacks whales twice their size but usual sick or old ones. Another species called the false killer whale is smaller and has black with grey marking.

Long-finned and short finned pilot whales have mainly cephalopods but also attack shoals of herrings. Pilot whales are well known for being stranded. They live in herds and all of them follow and get stranded.