Dolphins, Narwhals, and Belugas
By: Madison Rae McQuiston
Mr. Goldfarb`s Class
March 23, 2012
Introduction
Splash, a pod of Dolphins swimming the oceans of the world. Finding food
and thriving to survive. People and predators blocking their way to an easier less
stressful life.
Whistling and calling others, Belugas are the sea canaries. While
exploring the icy arctic waters they fight to stay safe and find food for themselves
and their pod. Migrating south in winter wondering if the water will freeze over
and how to stay alive in their cold harsh habitat.
Narwhals dodging killer whales and polar bears that could injure or even
kill them. Wondering where to get food and when they need to migrate south to
warmer waters. Living in the icy arctic waters is tough.
Dolphins, Narwhals, and Belugas are social marine mammals whose
communities are threatened by humans and predators.
Habitat
Dolphins live in every ocean in the world and even some rivers.
Dolphins eat squid, sardines, smelt, shrimp, herring, and many other small
fish. Dolphins work together to catch their food. Most of the time to find food
dolphins will use echolocation. When a Dolphin eats it`s food it will grab it`s food
with its teeth then swallow it head first without chewing. Also to help Dolphins
break up their food they have 3 stomachs.
Belugas live in arctic and sub arctic
waters such as the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska,
Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and the Hudson Bay.
Some Belugas stay in one area where it does
not freeze over and there is plenty of food. Also
some Belugas migrate south in the winter to
places where they will have enough food and
safe waters.
Belugas are carnivores like all cetaceans
A map of a Dolphins habitat
(toothed whales). Belugas eat things like crab,
shrimp, squid, marine worms, and octopuses. They also like salmon, arctic cod,
capelins, herring, and other fish. Some Belugas mainly hunt in estuaries, fresh
water, or saltwater.
Belugas catch their food by using echolocation and dive down 65-1,150 ft.
(20-350 m.). Usually Belugas will spend 9-13 minutes underwater at a time.
Narwhals live in arctic waters and nearby waters too. They swim among
ice floes and in summers enter bays, rivers, or estuaries.
Narwhals find food by using echolocation. Narwhals are carnivores and
they eat things like squid, crab, octopuses, shrimp, and marine worms. Narwhals
will also eat things like salmon, herring, capelins, arctic cod, and other fish. Like
Belugas Narwhals spend about 9-13 minutes underwater at a time.
Dolphins, Narwhals, and Belugas habitats are alike because they are
threatened by people`s actions and all live in bodies of water. Also they`re in
common because most don`t spend their whole lives in the same area.
Physical Description
Dolphins have waterproof skin that is good for swimming. Dolphins’ skin
can be different colors and designs depending on the kind of Dolphin. For
example, the spotted dolphin has lots
of spots on its skin unlike the
bottlenose dolphin which is usually
completely gray.
All Dolphins have a blowhole
on the top of their head that opens
when the Dolphin comes up for air.
When the dolphin goes back
underwater their blowhole closes.
Dolphins have a large brain and
are very intelligent. A Dolphin can tell a
real fish from a fake fish very far away
and fast.
Figure 1: Some people think the bottlenose
dolphin is "smiling" because of the way its
mouth is shaped.
Dolphins have a large curved beak and in its mouth has 88-200 coneshaped teeth to catch fish and other food.
Hearing is a Dolphins most important sense because they need to use
hearing for echolocation. Dolphins have very good eyesight they can see things
that are very far away. Since Dolphins are underwater most of the time they
aren`t able to smell.
On a Dolphin's back is a dorsal fin to help them swim. Also a Dolphins tail
and pectoral fin helps a dolphin swim. The pectoral fins help a Dolphin swim
because they steer and the tail moves up and down and pushes them.
There are 42 kinds of Dolphins including Whales, River Dolphins,
Saltwater Dolphins, and Fresh Water Dolphins.
Dolphins usually live 25-30 years and females usually live longer. Females
usually live longer because males will fight for females during mating season and
may injure or even kill each other. Dolphins can grow to be 12 ft. long (3.5 m)
and can weigh as much as 440 lbs. (200 kg).
Dolphins can also swim at up to 25 mph. (41.7
kilometers).
Some people think Dolphins are fish but
they aren`t. Dolphins are marine mammals and
are cetaceans (toothed whales) and aren`t
related to fish at all.
Saltwater Dolphins can`t drink saltwater.
Since they can`t drink saltwater they have to
get water from their food. Most of the foods
Dolphins eat have water in them so when
Dolphins eat their food they get water from it.
There are different colored Dolphins as well as
ones with different patterns and designs on their
skin
Belugas bodies are built for their harsh cold
habitat. Since Belugas bodies are built for their harsh
habitat they have no dorsal fin. The dorsal fin would
make it harder for the Belugas to break the ice so they
would be able to breathe. Since it’s hard for Belugas to
break through the ice to get up to breathe they have a
dorsal ridge along their back that is like a hard bump.
On the top of a Belugas head is a blowhole. The blowhole opens when
they come up to breathe and closes when they go back underwater. If the Beluga
gets water in the blowhole, that could cause it to drown.
Belugas have a layer of fat called blubber. Blubber helps a Beluga survive
in its habitat. Blubber is a layer of fat under a Belugas skin that helps keep them
warm in freezing water.
Belugas are dark gray when born and get lighter as they get older, usually
a full adult will be white or a creamy white color.
Male Belugas can be 16ft., females are usually 13-14 ft. long and calves
are about 4ft 11-5ft 3. Male Belugas weigh about 2,400-3,500 lbs., females weigh
about 1,500-2,600 lbs., and calves usually weigh about 176-220 lbs. A Beluga
usually lives 25-50 years and some live older than 50.
Belugas have a big melon that moves when they use echolocation which
they use mostly to communicate and find food.
To swim through the water Belugas tails move up and down and push
them and their pectoral fins (flippers) help them steer.
Narwhals like Belugas are built for
harsh cold arctic waters. Narwhals blubber
helps them survive because it keeps them
warm in the freezing waters.
Narwhals have blowholes at the top
of their head. The blowhole opens and
closes when the Narwhal is above or
below the water. Blowholes are important
because that is hoe Narwhals breathe.
Belugas swimming the icy arctic waters
Narwhals are not fish and are not
related to fish at all. Narwhals are marine mammals and are also in the
cetaceans even though some people think they are fish.
Narwhals swim by moving their tail up and down. Narwhals steer through
the water by using their pectoral fins (flippers) and they have no dorsal fin or
dorsal ridge.
Most people know narwhals as the spotted whales with tusks. Narwhals
tusks are actually teeth. Usually a narwhal only has 1 tusk or tooth that grows out
but sometimes both of their teeth will grow long into tusks. Usually Narwhals left
tooth grows really long into a tusk and occasionally the right one. Females will
not usually have a tusk or any teeth at all and males usually only have 2 teeth.
Some features Dolphins, Narwhals, and Belugas have in common are that
they all are toothed whales. Also all of their tails move up and down to push them
through the water and their pectoral fins (flippers) steer them. Another thing they
all have in common is their bodies are built so they can survive in their habitat.
One more thing that Dolphins, Narwhals, and Belugas have in common is that
they all breathe through their blowhole.
Communication
Dolphins use their melons to communicate. Their melons are fatty organs
in their head that focus their clicks into a sonar beam. When the sonar beam hits
an object an echo bounces back to the Dolphin and the Dolphin can tell the
shape, speed, size, and location of the object.
Also Dolphins can make squeals, pops, and yelps to communicate.
Dolphins may also make gestures or motions to other Dolphins to
communicate like rolling over or shaking their head.
Dolphins have signature whistles that some other can recognize and
identify. Calves will sometimes memorize their mothers’ signature whistles and
use them or make their own.
Belugas also use echolocation and their melons to communicate with
others and find food. Belugas are very social and make lots of noises like clicks
and whistles. That is why some people call them sea canaries.
Narwhals communicate by using their melons and echolocation. Narwhals
mostly use echolocation to find food and communicate.
Dolphins, Narwhals, and Belugas are alike because they all use
echolocation and use it mainly to find food and communicate.
Family
Dolphins are marine mammals in the cetacean family. The scientific name
for Dolphins is Delphinidae.
Dolphins are also in the whale family.
Dolphins are very social they will swim up to people and let the people
touch them, ride on them, and play with them.
Dolphins live in pods which are groups of hundreds of Dolphins that play
may have a thousand Dolphins in it. A mother and a baby Dolphin may form their
own pod to or join another.
Baby Dolphins are called calves. Calves are
usually born in warm waters like bays, rivers, estuaries,
and other shallow waters. A calve will usually stay with its
mom for 2 years.
Belugas are marine mammals in the cetacean
family. Their scientific name is Delphinapterus Leucas.
Belugas are also a part of the white whale family. The
white whale family includes the Beluga and Narwhal.
A pod of Dolphins that live, hunt, and play
together
Belugas are very social and communicate with their family and pods or
herds a lot. Beluga calves are dark gray. Calves usually swim in shallow warm
waters and not open oceans. The calves will stay close to their mothers for
protection. Calves learn how to hunt by watching their mothers and after about 2
years they can survive on their own.
Belugas live in pods which are big groups that live, hunt, and play
together. Some pods join together to form herds of thousands.
Narwhals are marine mammals in the cetacean family. The scientific name
for Narwhal is Monodon Monoceros. Narwhals are a part of the white whale
family with the Beluga. Belugas are just like Narwhals except they have no tusks
or spots.
Narwhals live in large groups called pods. In their pods they may have up
to a few hundred Narwhals. Like Belugas some pods will join together to make
herds. Usually a strong male will lead the pod or herd and mothers and babies
will go in the middle. In the pods they live, hunt, and play together.
Narwhals' babies are called calves. Calves are usually born in warm
shallow waters. Calves learn how to hunt by watching the mother and after about
2 years the calves can survive on their own.
Dolphins, Narwhals, and Belugas families are alike because they are all
marine mammals in the cetacean family. Also they all live in pods or herds and
the calves stay close to their mothers for protection and leave after about 2
years. Dolphins, Narwhals, and Belugas are also similar because they use
echolocation to communicate with each other and find food.
Threats
Dolphins are mainly threatened by humans and predators. Dolphins are
threatened by people because of pollution like dumping trash and chemicals into
the ocean. Also Dolphins are threatened by people because of boats. Boats can
cause oil spills and make loud noises that could hurt a Dolphin. Some fishing
boats will follow Dolphins because they think fish follow behind them and when
they try to catch fish Dolphins get stuck in the net to.
Some of Dolphins predators are killer whales and sharks because they
can attack and even kill Dolphins to eat.
Another way Dolphins are threatened is because the change of weather
and temperature. That can affect Dolphins because it might be too cold or warm
for them.
One more threat to Dolphins is if they swim into waters to shallow they
could get stranded (stuck) and die if they don`t get help.
Hunting is also a big threat to Dolphins and can lead to extinction.
Belugas main threats are polar bears, killer whales, and humans. Belugas
are threatened by polar bears and killer whales because they can attack, kill, and
eat them.
People are threats to Belugas because of pollution and boats which can
harm them and their environment. Also people who hunt Belugas for their meat
are threats to them.
The main threat to Narwhals is also predators and humans. Humans are a
threat because of boats and pollution of their habitat. Also the loud noises of
boats can damage them.
Narwhals are threatened by predators because they can attack, kill, and
eat them. Some predators of narwhals are killer whales and polar bears.
Another way Narwhals are threatened is by their population decreasing
because of people hunting.
Dolphins, Narwhals, and Belugas are alike because they are all
threatened by humans and predators because of them hunting, polluting, their
boats, and predators killing and eating them.
Conclusion
Dolphins, narwhals and belugas are all alike because they all are social
marine mammals whose communities are threatened by humans and predators
and they depend on us to help save them.
We can help save them all by not polluting the oceans. Also we can try
even harder to prevent oil spills. We can also help by not hunting them and
making them endangered. Their lives depend on us to stop these things and WE
CAN SAVE THEM!!!!!!
Work Cited
Rake, Jody S. Narwhal Whales Up Close. Mankato, Minnesota : Capstone
Press, 2009
Julienne ,Jerome, Le ,Bloas, Renee. The Dolphin Prince of the Waves,
Toulouse France : Readers Digest Young Families
Jhonson, Jinny. Ocean Life Encyclopedia. London : Mondo
Beeves, Randal R., Stewart, Brent S., Clapham, Philip J., Powell, James
A. Guide To Marine Mammals of the World, US: Chanticleer Press
Medeiros, James D. Dolphins Amazing Animals. New York : Weigl
Publishers Inc. , 2009
Cousteau, Jean-Micheal. A Charm of Dolphins. Montrose, California :
London Town Press, 2007
Miller, Connie C. Dolphins. Mankato, Minnesota : Capstone Press, 2006
Harvey, Bev. The Dolphin family. Philadelphia : Chelsea Clubhouse, 2003
Squire, Ann O. Beluga Whales. New York : Children`s Press, 2007
Landau, Elaine. Beluga Whales Animals of the Snow and Ice. Berkley
Heights, NJ : Enslow Elementary, 2010
Stahl, Dean. TheWorld of Dolphins. Columbus, Ohio : The Child`s World,
1991
Pictures Work Cited
Smiling Dolphin
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bottlenose-dolphin/#
Fighting Narwhals
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Narwhals_breach.jpg
/300px-Narwhals_breach.jpg
Dolphin with Calf
http://www.great-barrier-reef-holiday.com.au/images/Gallery/Great-Barrier-ReefHoliday-Bottlenose-Dolphins.jpg
Cute Dolphins
http://clubatlanta.iwarp.com/dolpic.jpg
Pink!!!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8M4A38LyBBs/Saw_zbnGGI/AAAAAAAAHdg/4WgcoPxtFFk/s400/1.jpg
Communicating Belugas
http://www.fondospedia.com/fondos/wallpapers-belugas.jpg
Dolphins habitat
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/NGKids/Im
age/map-dolphins.jpg
Narwhals habitat
http://blogs.ngm.com/.a/6a00e0098226918833014e88398501970d-500wi
Narwhals Jousting
http://www.popfi.com/wp-content/uploads/jousting-narwhals.jpg
Laughing dolphin
http://news.discovery.com/animals/2010/01/22/dolphin-278x225.jpg
Pink Dolphin
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01358/pink_dolphin_1358282c.jpg
Cute Dolphins That Look Like They Are Laughing
http://www.jigzone.com/p/jz/jz9/Dolphins.jpg
Jumping Dolphins
http://www.freakingnews.com/images/app_images/dolphins-1.jpg
Dolphins at Sunset
http://cache2.artprintimages.com/p/LRG/15/1552/F57DD00Z/art-print/hubertklein-two-dolphins.jpg
Pod of Dolphins Having fun
http://walls.free.total-wallpapers.com/free-wallpapers/3024/BottlenoseDolphins.jpg
Mom with Calf
http://carinbondar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/baby-beluga3.jpg