Subject: Re: fin names and reproduction in whales
Dagmar_Fertl@smtp.mms.gov
Tue, 01 Oct 96 06:16:41 EST
Dear Bendu,
Hi to you and your classmates. Those are two very good questions
you've asked about whales.
1. Fin name depends on where they're located on the body. We'll
start at the top, which is the dorsal part of the body...hence the
name "dorsal fin". The dorsal fin usually has notches out of it, or
unusual shapes to it, that help scientists identify individual whales
and dolphins. Did you know that there are some cetacean species
(whales, dolphins, and porpoises) that don't even have a dorsal fin?
The fins at the lower front part of the body, that would be where your
arms are, are the "pectoral fins" (do you know where your pectoral
muscles are?). These fins are not used for paddling, but help the
animal steer its away thru the water.
The last fins are part of the tail. The whole tail is called
"flukes", with each half being a "fluke". The tail area is where all
the power for moving the animal is located.
2. Whales are mammals. What characteristics do humans, dogs, and
cats have in common have whales? Mammals are warm-blooded, have fur
or hair (yes, even a whale or dolphin has hair...hair can be seen on
the fetus' snout), give birth to live young, nurse their young with
milk from their mammary glands (the mammary glands of a whale or
dolphin are tucked away in the mammary slits), and breathe air with
lungs (the whale breathes air through its nose, which is on top of its
head - the blowhole).
Thank you for your great questions. Have fun in school.
Dagmar
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Bendu's Whale Question.
Author: bobcat@feist.com at ~smtp
Date: 9/30/96 6:15 PM
I want to know about whales.
1. I would like to know what are the names of the fins on the whale?
2. Do whales lay eggs?
Thank you very much,
Bendu
Mr. Niessen's 2nd Grade Class