A Whale of a Surprise!

A Whale of a Surprise!

We all know that whales are amazing creatures. Their size coupled with their grace and beauty make them incredible animals to behold. But for all that you do know about whales, there are probably a few things that you don’t. Check out some of these surprising facts about our mammalian marine counterparts.
Surprising Fact #1: Just because it looks like a whale does not mean it is a whale. Yes, the orca, which is more commonly known as the killer whale, actually is not a whale at all- it is a dolphin. The orca is one of the largest species of dolphins measuring 25 feet in length and weighing over 12,000 pounds. Like its more widely known dolphin relatives, the orca is extremely intelligent. Orcas have been observed teaching very sophisticated hunting maneuvers to one another – much to the disappointment of the hunted, of course. And like dolphins, orcas crave social interaction and travel in groups called pods.   In fact, orcas form tight knit intergenerational family units where three or four generations may live together in a traveling pack.
Surprising Fact #2: Whales have big bodies and therefore they must eat big things. Not quite. Though some whales dine on other marine mammals, blue whale eat teeny tiny krill. Yes, krill. Try to picture feeding pieces of tic-tac sized morsels of meat to a 280 pound linebacker. Get the picture? Krill measures a measly 1 to 2 centimeters in length. The blue whale dines at the bottom of the ocean floor. They use a method known as filter feeding to gather its prey. Filter feeding means that the whale opens its mouth very wide and then swims about. Water flows into the whale’s mouth along with the krill. The whale then pushes the water out but the krill gets stuck in the comb-like teeth called baleen.  The whale is left with a mouth full of delicious krill to eat.
Surprising Fact #3: All whales are not gigantic. There is a species of whale known as the dwarf sperm whale that only measures 8.5 in length and weights a mere 550 whale pounds. Comparatively speaking, this is miniscule; the blue whale can grow to a massive 100 feet and weigh 300,000 pounds (150 tons). So this is like comparing a Mack truck to toy car. This petite whale can be found in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Now you know! We are proud to manufacture a product that celebrates the full-blooded whales and those whales who happen to be a distant cousin.   We hope you continue to share our love and admiration for these incredible creatures. Contact us to learn about our delicious non gmo project verified products.

Facts About Whales That Will Enable You To Impersonate A Marine Biologist As Long As You Refuse To Speak To Anyone Over 6

Eating Whale Tails does not make you a marine biologist. Memorize these facts about whales to satisfy your own curiosity and avoid any embarrassing social gaffes in case you get to talk with a real scientist.

• Whales with no teeth are called baleen whales. Whales with teeth are called toothed whales. Not everything is complicated.
• Blowholes are nostrils. They’re located on top of a whale’s head and provide air to the lungs. Some whales can stay deep under water for an hour or longer before they need to get more air.
• A vapor spout over a whale means they’re breathing out. That fountain is a mix of gas and condensed water.
• Blubber is a layer of fat under the skin of a whale. It provides energy and insulation. If your doctor has told you that you need to lose weight, these arguments will not be persuasive.
• Dolphins and porpoises are whales too. Flipper from TV was a bottlenose dolphin.
• Blue whales are the largest at 100 feet or more, which is about one-third of a football field. Porpoises are the smallest at only four feet.
• Mother whales are called cows. Newborn whales are called calves. Gestation time varies by species. Sperm whale pregnancies can last for 19 months. The average is 9 to 15 months, and many whales nurse for more than one year.
• Moby Dick was a sperm whale, the largest species of toothed whales. Their huge snouts contain close to a ton of oil.
• Different species have very different life spans. Some scientists believe that bowhead whales can live for as long as 200 years. Most species average about 20 to 40 years.

This should be enough whale trivia to impress small children. If one of them catches you using the same fake Latin term to refer to both a dolphin and your carburetor, contact us for an extra bag of Whale Tails to bribe them into silence.