Minke+whale+2

Animal: Animal Group: Description of animal group || Minke Whale Mammal Mammals are warm-blooded vertibrats that evolved in the Jurassic period about 175 million years ago. They evolved from reptiles. || Observation Describe your animal (Colour, size, body parts) || The Minke Whale, also known as the Little Piked Whale, are the second smallest and most abundent Baleen Whale. It has a white band and a dark grey top, sometimes with pale stripes behind the flippers. They have 2 blow holes like all baleen whales. They grow to about 25-30 feet long and weigh about 6-7.5 tons. The females are about 2 feet longer than the males. Minke whales are stocky with a layer of blubber several inches thick. They have 50-70 throat grooves going from the chin to the mid-section. The minke whale has two long flippers, a small dorsal fin, and alot of small ridges along its back near the flukes. The minke Whale has between 240-360 baleen plates on each side of their mouths, these are used to filter their food. Minke Whales do not have teeth.
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 * Source 1: || encarta ||
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. || Describe how your animal behaves (moves, flies, runs) || Whales are sprinters of the sea. They are really fast swimmers, they use there tales to power forward. Their tales move up and down and not side to side like fish, to move themselves through the water. They can reach speeds of 20k/h. || Where it lives || Minke Whales are found in all oceans, although they are rarely found in the tropics. They prefer the icy waters and can be found right up to the edge of the icepack in polar regions. They have on occasions become trapped in the icefields. They do go to warmer waters when they breed. || What it eats How it eats || In summer, the minke whale spends 4-6 months feeding intensively. They eat approximately 4% of their body weight each day during the feeding season. This is more than they need on a daily basis so they store it as fat and blubber. In the northern hemisphere they feed on small, schooling fish and in the southern hemisphere they feed on Krill. Minke's use the baleen plates on each side of their mouths to filter fish and krill from the water. || How does it have babies? How does it care for its babies? How long do they live? || Minke whale breeding happens mostley in the late winter to spring while near the surface and in warm waters. The baby stays in the mummies tummy for about 10 months and the calf is born near the surface of the warm, shallow waters. The newborn baby swims to the surface within 10 seconds for its frist breath. The baby is helped by its mother, useing her flippers. Within 30 minutes of its birthvthe baby whale can swim. The newborn calf is about 9 feet long and weighs about 1000 pouds. The baby is fed by its mothers milk. The mother and calf can stay together for 1 year or longer.Minke whales reach puberty at 2 years of age. They can life up to 20 years old || What does it do during the day and night? || The Minke Whale swims the oceans looking for new feeding grounds. They have been known to swim up to and follow boats, they are quite curious about them. They need to rest but find this quite a challenge because they have to breath regularly. Studies on dolphins in captivity have shown that they rest half of their brain whilst the other half is awake. || How has it changed over time in Antarctica? || Whales have been around for 50 million years and their ancestors were believed to be land-living. They have evolved in the oceans during this time and are now perfectly adapted to an aquatic existence. || Type in the content of your page here.
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 * **__Movement:__**
 * Source 1: || Dolphins and Whales DK Eyewonder book ||
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 * Source 1: || encarta ||
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 * Source 1: || [|www.baleinesendirect.net] ||
 * Source 2: || Dolphins and Whales DK Eyewonder Book ||
 * **Adaptations:**
 * Source 1: || [|www.whalewatch.org/whatweknow.htm] ||
 * Source 2: || Dolphins and Whales DK Book ||
 * **Threats:** || The main threat to Minke Whales is the Killer Whale who will kill them for food. Minke Whales are still hunted for scientific reasons by Japan and Iceland, although alot of enviornmental agencies believe this is a cover and that they still hunt for them for money. Another threat is pollution released into the sea from factories and oil spills from tankers. Also they can become entangled in discarded fishing nets. ||
 * Source 1: || [|www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minke_Whale] ||
 * Source 2: || Dolphins and Whales DK Eyewonder Book ||
 * **Other Facts:** || Minke Whales make very lound sounds, up to 152 decibels (as loud as a jet taking off). These sounds may be used to communicate with other Minke Whales. They can dive holding their breath for up to 20 - 25 minutes, but they usually make shorter dives, holding their breaths for 10-12 minutes. ||
 * Source 1: || [|www.enchantedlearning.com] ||
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