Whales are a varied group of completely aquatic placental marine animals with a vast distribution. They are an unofficial suborder of the Cetacea, generally omitting dolphins and porpoises. The order Cetartiodactyla, which includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises, is made up of even-toed ungulates. Hippopotamuses are their closest surviving cousins, having split around 40 million years ago. Baleen whales (Mysticeti) and toothed whales (Odontoceti), two groups of whales, are estimated to have separated approximately 34 million years ago. Balaenopteridae (rorquals), Balaenidae (right whales), Cetotheriidae (pygmy right whales), Eschrichtiidae (grey whales), Monodontidae (belugas and narwhals), Physeteridae (sperm whales), Kogiidae (dwarf and pygmy sperm whales), and Ziphi (the beaked whales).

Whales are completely aquatic mammals that forage, mate, give birth, nurse, and raise their young in the open ocean. Whales range in size from the dwarf sperm whale, which is 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) long and weighs 135 kilograms (298 pounds), to the blue whale, which is 29.9 meters (98 feet) long and weighs 190 metric tons (210 short tons). The sperm whale is the world’s biggest toothed predator. Females in some species are bigger than males, resulting in sexual dimorphism. Baleen whales don’t have teeth; instead, they have baleen plates, a fringe-like structure that allows them to evacuate water while keeping the krill and plankton they eat. They extend their mouths using their neck pleats to take in large gulps of water. To take in water, Balaenids have heads that can make up 40% of their body mass. Conical teeth, on the other hand, are designed to capturing fish or squid by toothed whales. Baleen whales have an excellent sense of smell, but toothed whales have excellent hearing. Their hearing, which is suited for both air and water, is so good that some can live even if they are blind. Some animals, such as sperm whales, have evolved to dive to considerable depths in order to hunt squid and other food.

Whales descended from terrestrial animals. As a result, even though whales may stay submerged for lengthy periods of time, they must breathe air on a regular basis. Some animals, such as the sperm whale, can stay underwater for up to 90 minutes. On top of their heads, they have blowholes (modified nostrils) via which air is sucked in and released. They have a coating of fat, or blubber, under their skin and are warm-blooded. Whales can travel at up to 20 knots thanks to their streamlined fusiform bodies and two modified arms that serve as flippers, however they are not as flexible or nimble as seals. Whales make a wide range of vocalizations, including the humpback whale’s long songs. Despite their extensive distribution, whales prefer the cooler waters of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and most species travel to the equator to give birth. Humpback whales and blue whales, for example, may travel thousands of kilometers without feeding. Males usually mate with several females each year, but females only mate every two to three years.

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