Right whales
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Southern Right whale |
Right whales are baleen whales. They have a bow shaped lower jaw, and an enormous head, which can measure up to one-third of their total body length. Right whales live in temperate and cool seas in both hemi spheres. They breathe air at the surface of the water through two blowholes located near the top of the head. Right whales swim slowly, with their mouths open.
They are constantly catching and swallowing their prey- mostly krill, plankton and copepods- right whales were named by whalers who considered them the 'right' whale to hunt because they were a rich source of oil. Right whales have been almost hunted to extinction, especially those in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. So, it is only right that they are today a protected species, and hunting them is banned by many countries.
Key words
Baleen whales - Click here
Plankton - Plankton are marine drifters . Scientists classify plankton in several ways, including by size, type, and how long they spend drifting. But the most basic categories divide plankton into two groups: phytoplankton (plants) and zooplankton (animals).
Reference:
1. Tell me why - February 2016/volume 10/No.2
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