Why is a whale a mammal but fish are not?

Whales are warm blooded, which means they keep a high body temperature that does not change in the cold water. Fish are cold-blooded, so their body temperature changes depending on the temperature of their environment. Fish lay eggs, which must still grow into a baby fish. So whales are indeed mammals and not fish!

Is a whale a mammal or a fish?

Whales and porpoises are also mammals. There are 75 species of dolphins, whales, and porpoises living in the ocean. They are the only mammals, other than manatees, that spend their entire lives in the water.

Why do whales called mammals?

Whales are mammals which means that, like humans and other land mammals, they have three inner ear bones and hair, they breathe air, and the females produce milk through mammary glands and suckle their young.

Do whales have fins?

Whales generally have four fins: two pectoral fins (instead of arms), a caudal fin (also called the tail) and a dorsal fin. The humpback whale stands out for its long pectoral fins that can reach one third of its body length. It is believed to be the largest appendage in the animal kingdom.

How are whale mammals?

Is a shark a fish or a mammal?

Sharks are fish. They live in water, and use their gills to filter oxygen from the water. Sharks are a special type of fish known because their body is made out of cartilage instead of bones like other fish.

Why are whales different from fish?

Fish have gills that extract oxygen from the water and allow it to live underwater their entire lives. On the other hand, whales do not have gills but instead have one or two blowholes that connect to their lungs, which allow the whale to breathe in air.

What is a female whale called?

cows
All whales, dolphins and porpoises are descendants of land-living mammals, most likely of the Artriodactyl order . They entered the water roughly 50 million years ago. Male whales are called bulls, females are called cows, and the young whales are called calves.

What are the fins on a whale called?

Whales generally have four fins: two pectoral fins (instead of arms), a caudal fin (also called the tail) and a dorsal fin. The caudal fin is used for propulsion of the animal, with up-and-down movements created by powerful muscles along the peduncle.

How are whales different from other marine animals?

Like other mammals these marine animals require oxygen to breathe, eyes to see, ears to hear and mammary glands to feed their young among other things. Unlike other mammals however whales, dolphins and porpoises have flippers, flukes, a dorsal fin and blowhole(s) that make navigating the ocean much easier.

Is a dolphin a mammal or a fish?

Dolphins and other whales are all mammals called cetaceans. Mammals, and only mammals, have fur or hair and they feed their babies milk. Whales all feed their babies milk. You may be thinking that whales dont have any fur. You are mostly right.

Why do whales come to the surface to breathe?

Whales, porpoises, and dolphins are marine mammals, and like all mammals, they require oxygen to survive. Unlike other sea creatures such as fish which use gills to extract oxygen from the water, whales must come to the surface to breathe as they possess lungs and a blowhole rather than gills.