Mittens' Memos... Whale with a Blog!
Hi kids! I'm Mittens the Minke Whale! Follow my blog each month to learn about the coolest animals under the sea! For more fun ocean activities, visit TwistedOrca.com!
Why Humpbacks are the Coolest Animals Ever !
July 2023
Humpback whales are very big compared to people! They can weigh as much as 10,000 ten year old kids put together! That’s a lot of kids!
Humpback whales eat small fish, plankton, and tiny shrimp like creatures called krill. It takes about 3,000 pounds of food to feed them. That is like us eating a whole hippopotamus every day!
Humpback whales have baleen plates in their mouths instead of teeth. Baleen plates look like a broom or comb! The baleen traps small fish and ocean animals inside the whale’s mouth but lets the seawater filter back out. This is like when you pour spaghetti into a strainer at home. The spaghetti stays in, but the water drains out.
Humpback whales can be very active. You may get to see one breaching (jumping out of the water), tail slapping, and putting on quite a show! These behaviors may be to communicate with other whales, warn off predators, or attract a mate.
Humpbacks are very social and also communicate through sounds (such as grunts and moans). Male Humpbacks are even said to "sing". These songs of repeated sounds can be heard up to 20 miles away.
Humpbacks have white coloring on their long pectoral fins (flippers). These fins help whales move and stay stable in the water. They also have unique marks on their tails. Their tail markings help scientists tell them apart and even name them!
Whales are mammals and need to breathe air like us. They come to the water's surface to breathe through blowholes on top of their heads. Baleen whales (like Humpbacks) have 2 blow holes!
Humpbacks can live 80-90 years, and can be found in oceans in New England, Mid-Atlantic, Alaska, Pacific islands, Southeast and West Coast!
Check out the Free for Kids page to print out coloring and activity pages and learn more about cool sea animals like Humpbacks, and don't forget to visit me next month when I tell you about the Coolest Animals ever.... Minke Whales like me!
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