Untitled Document

Think About This!

Pages 8-9

Can you name the different species of animals in this illustration?

Narwhal: This leaping whale with the single horn is not just a creature of Finston's imagination. Actually, the narwhal's tusk is really a tooth. In males, the left-side tooth grows out through a hole in its upper lip. No one knows what the tusk is for, but sometimes the whales play sword fights with them. The narwhal lives in the cold waters of Norway, Greenland, and northern Canada. (Source: Remarkable Animals, page 78. Guinness Books 1987.)

Killer whale: The killer whale is the type most commonly found performing in marine amusement parks, and in our story is the whale that ends up liking Finston's antics the most. In the wild, the killer whale is generally very gentle, except when it's hungry. With between 40-50 teeth and a throat so big that it can swallow a seal or dolphin whole, the killer whale is feared by all sea creatures. For all its strength, however, the killer whale is not known to attack people. (Source: Remarkable Animals, page 79. Guinness Books 1987.)

Sperm whale: Inside the huge head of the sperm whale are special waxes known as spermaceti oil, which the whale can move around to make it sink or float. A sperm whale can dive for as long as 90 minutes without taking a breath, and as deep as two miles down. When a sperm whale dives, it turns and heads straight down, then comes straight back up, coming out of the water at exactly the same place as when it went down. (Source: Remarkable Animals, page 77. Guinness Books 1987.)

Right whale: The open mouth of this right whale reveals rows of baleen: long, bony bristles instead of teeth. Whales are either "toothed" whales (like the other whales on this page) or "moustached" whales (like the right whale). The right whale's enormous mouth - large enough to let in a car - opens wide to take in a huge amount of seawater. The whale then pushes the water out between its rows of baleen, which trap small shrimp-like creatures. The whale then swallows these whole. One of the world's largest animals eats some of the world's smallest! (Source: Whales: A Visual Introduction to Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises, Bernard Stonehouse, Checkmark Books 1998.)

Dolphins: Dolphins have the best hearing in the world. Although their ears are tiny holes in the sides of their heads, they hear best by sending out clicking sounds and waiting for the echoes of the sounds to come back to them. The echoes are felt inside their jaws, which send messages directly to the brain. Dolphins are also the fastest of all whales, swimming at speeds of 35 miles an hour. (Source: Remarkable Animals, page 80. Guinness Books 1987.)
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Can you name the different species of animals in this illustration?

Narwhal: This leaping whale with the single horn is not just a creature of Finston's imagination. Actually, the narwhal's tusk is really a tooth. In males, the left-side tooth grows out through a hole in its upper lip. No one knows what the tusk is for, but sometimes the whales play sword fights with them. The narwhal lives in the cold waters of Norway, Greenland, and northern Canada. (Source: Remarkable Animals, page 78. Guinness Books 1987.)

Killer whale: The killer whale is the type most commonly found performing in marine amusement parks, and in our story is the whale that ends up liking Finston's antics the most. In the wild, the killer whale is generally very gentle, except when it's hungry. With between 40-50 teeth and a throat so big that it can swallow a seal or dolphin whole, the killer whale is feared by all sea creatures. For all its strength, however, the killer whale is not known to attack people. (Source: Remarkable Animals, page 79. Guinness Books 1987.)

Sperm whale: Inside the huge head of the sperm whale are special waxes known as spermaceti oil, which the whale can move around to make it sink or float. A sperm whale can dive for as long as 90 minutes without taking a breath, and as deep as two miles down. When a sperm whale dives, it turns and heads straight down, then comes straight back up, coming out of the water at exactly the same place as when it went down. (Source: Remarkable Animals, page 77. Guinness Books 1987.)

Right whale: The open mouth of this right whale reveals rows of baleen: long, bony bristles instead of teeth. Whales are either "toothed" whales (like the other whales on this page) or "moustached" whales (like the right whale). The right whale's enormous mouth - large enough to let in a car - opens wide to take in a huge amount of seawater. The whale then pushes the water out between its rows of baleen, which trap small shrimp-like creatures. The whale then swallows these whole. One of the world's largest animals eats some of the world's smallest! (Source: Whales: A Visual Introduction to Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises, Bernard Stonehouse, Checkmark Books 1998.)

Dolphins: Dolphins have the best hearing in the world. Although their ears are tiny holes in the sides of their heads, they hear best by sending out clicking sounds and waiting for the echoes of the sounds to come back to them. The echoes are felt inside their jaws, which send messages directly to the brain. Dolphins are also the fastest of all whales, swimming at speeds of 35 miles an hour. (Source: Remarkable Animals, page 80. Guinness Books 1987.)
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