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WHALES
In the family of whales we find some of the largest mammals on Earth. The Blue Whale
(a krill eater) can grow up to 100 ft in length and weigh 150 tons.
The largest toothed animal on Earth is the Sperm Whale (60 ft/65 tons.) This whale can dive to a depth of 3 ooo ft to get its food. Part of its diet is the giant squid. Apart from statistics, whales have about them a great mystique and have inspired stories like the biblical 'Jonah' and Melville's ' Moby Dick.'
Whales are probably more intelligent than Man has yet been able to measure and they have a highly developed social structure. The sounds emitted by the Blue Whale travel through the water for hundreds, even thousands, of miles.
Clearly, amongst all the sounds made by the many kinds of whales, there are systems of communications still to be revealed. The haunting sounds of the songs of the Humpback Whale are truly unforgettable.
Certain whales are under increasing threat from commercial fishermen, with the great Blue Whale being an endangered species.
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