Word List

• Baleen: Tough plates made of the same material as our fingernails, which hang down from the top jaw in a whale’s mouth. The fringed edges catch small food particles from the water for the whale to eat.
• Beak: The long, pointed jaws of some whales and dolphins. Scientists also call this the rostrum.
• Blowholes: Holes on top of the head through which they breathe air. Cetaceans with teeth have one blowhole; whales with baleen have two blowholes, like our nostrils.
• Blubber: A thick layer of fat under the skin keeps cetaceans warm and also helps them float more easily.
• Bow ride: Some cetaceans like to swim at the front, or bow, of a boat. The force of the boat moving forwards in the water pushes them along, and must be good fun.
• Cetacean: The correct name for all whales, dolphins and porpoises.
• Dorsal fin: The fin on the back of a whale, dolphin or porpoise. A male killer whale’s dorsal fin can be nearly 2 metres tall.
• Echolocation: Some cetaceans produce sounds which travel away from them and hit objects such as rocks or fish. These echoes then bounce back to the cetacean telling them what is around them and letting them know where the fish are.
• Flippers: Each cetacean has a flipper on each side of its body. Inside are five bones, just like your hands, but they are covered in skin to help with swimming.
• Fluke: The proper name for a cetacean’s tail. There are no bones inside, just powerful muscles that move the tail up and down to swim.
• Hydrophone: A special microphone that goes into the water and allows us to hear the noises that cetaceans make. Cetaceans use sound to talk to talk to each other, to find food, to avoid danger and to find their way around.
• Photo-ID: Scientists take photos of cetacean’s dorsal fins and tail flukes to identify them. Just like fingerprints, each fin is different in colour, scratches and nicks in the skin. We can then recognise individuals and learn more about them.
• Plankton: Tiny plants and animals in the ocean, which provide food for whales. Plant plankton is called phytoplankton and animal plankton is called zooplankton.
• Pod: The name for a group of cetaceans. A pod can also be called a school, a herd or a group.
• Predator: An animal which catches other live animals to eat. Dolphins are predators and their prey includes fish and squid.
• Prey: A live animal that is eaten by another animal. Fish and squid are prey for large predators including whales and sharks.
• Stranding: Sometimes cetaceans wash up on the shore dead or alive. Scientists don’t know exactly why cetaceans strand when they are alive, but it could be because they are sick, injured or lost.