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Cetacean

Any animal in the family of
Dolphins, Whales and Porpoises.
This does not include seals or sealions.

Dolphin

a member of the family Delphinidae.
small to medium sized cetaceans
with often a long beak or snout.

Whale

a medium to large sized Cetacean
divided into two groups; Toothed Whales
and Baleen Whales. Among Whales are the
largest animals that have ever lived on earth.

Porpoise

Porpoises are 6 species of small
cetaceans. Their flattened, spade-shaped
teeth differ them from Dolphins.

Bodyparts

Dorsal

The Dorsal or Dorsal fin
is located on the back of the
cetacean. They can be many shapes:
pointy, round, triangular or curved.
Some cetaceans lack a Dorsal fin.

Pectoral(s)

The paired Pectoral Fins are located
on each side of the cetacean and are
used for steering.

Fluke(s)

The Fluke or Tailfluke of a
cetacean is attached to the tail
and used to make speed through the water.

Melon

The Melon is the 'forehead' of
the cetacean that contains a
thick oil-like fluid

Rostrum

The Rostrum is also known
as the snout or beak of a cetacean.

Blowhole

The Blowhole (or in some cases
Blowholes) is located on the top
of the cetaceans head.
It is the only way to breathe air
Cetaceans can not breathe through their
mouth. Water does not come out
of the blowhole. The spray that cetaceans
create while breathing is simply vapor,
sometimes a little amount of oil-like substance
from the blowhole, and water that was on top
of the blowhole being spouted through the air.

Medical and Scientific Terms

Spermaceti

The oil in a cetaceans forehead
used for echolocation.

Blubber

The bodyfat of a cetacean.

Bull/Cow/Calf

Male cetaceans are called Bulls,
Females are called Cows,
and Young animals are Calves.

Slipstream

Young cetaceans can't swim fully
on their own strength yet. They
are partially carried by the waves
their mother creates when swimming
also called 'Slipstream'.

Behaviours in the Wild

Spyhop

Spyhopping is when the cetacean
pops it's head out of the water high
enough to scan it's surrounding.

Bow

a Bow is a small jump where
the cetacean jumps out of the
water and lands back in head first.

Logging

Floating just beneath the surface.
In this state the cetacean is usually resting
with a part of it's back barely visible.

Breaching

When breaching the cetacean
throws itself out of the water
and lands with it's side back in
the water causing a very loud
splash.

Lobtailing

Lobtailing is slapping of the
fluke on the surface, sometimes
repeatedly.

Bow Riding

When Bow Riding the cetacean swims
right in front of a ship or boat
riding the waves it creates.

Spouting

a cetacean's exhalation.