Whales and Cetaceans Quiz

Study Notes

Cetaceans evolved from terrestrial mammals and breathe air.
There are two types of cetaceans: toothed whales, which includes dolphins, beluga whales and narwhals, and baleen whales, such as humpback and North Atlantic right whales.
Toothed whales, as the name suggests, have teeth – but they don’t use them for chewing! Instead, they use them to grab large prey, such as salmon, and then swallow it whole. Baleen whales, on the other hand, have baleen plates. Baleen is made of keratin (just like your fingernails), which acts as a sieve when a whale takes a big gulp of water, then pushes it out through the baleen, catching tiny prey.
Whales have the longest migrations of any mammal and use sound to communicate.
Cetaceans play an important role in the food web by keeping the ocean ecosystem balanced and healthy.
Whales are mammals and have a backbone.
Whales are intelligent and social animals.
Whales can travel long distances and dive deep into the ocean.
Whales play an important role in the ocean's ecosystem by eating other animals and producing oxygen.
Whales are threatened or endangered around the world, especially due to commercial fishing, shipping, and oil and gas exploration.
You can help conserve whales by not supporting commercial fishing, shipping, and oil and gas exploration.