Whale | Species

Species
Whale

Species
Whale

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Overview
Why They Matter
Threats
What WWF is Doing
How You Can Help
Adopt a Blue Whale

Overview

Status
Endangered
Population
few as 300 North Atlantic right whales remain; other species vary: 10,000-90,000
Scientific Name
Balaenoptera, Balaena, Eschrichtius, and Eubalaen
Weight
20- 200 tons
Length
45-100 ft.
Habitats
Oceans

Whales roam throughout all of the world’s oceans, communicating with complex and mysterious sounds. Their sheer size amazes us: the blue whale can reach lengths of more than 100 feet and weigh up to 200 tons—as much as 33 elephants.

Despite living in the water, whales breathe air. And like humans, they are warm-blooded mammals who nurse their young. A thick layer of fat called blubber insulates them from cold ocean waters.

Some whales are known as baleen whales including blue, right, bowhead, sei and gray whales. This refers to the fact that they have special bristle-like structures in their mouths (called baleen) that strains food from the water. Other whales, such as beluga or sperm whales, have teeth.

Places
Southern Chile, Arctic, The Galápagos, Coral Triangle, Gulf of California, Coastal East Africa
Habitats
Polar Regions

Browse Photos & Videos

Giants of the Ocean: Whale Facts

At the top of the food chain, whales play a vital role in the overall health of the environment. WWF documents and protects critical feeding and breeding areas, and migration routes of whales. We also work to help shift shipping lanes to limit noise and other disruptions for whales and other marine species.

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The Whale Family

Why They Matter

Whales are at the top of the food chain and have an important role in the overall health of the marine environment. Unfortunately their large size and mythical aura does not protect them; seven out of the 13 great whale species are classified as endangered or vulnerable, even after decades of protection.

Threats

Population few as 300 North Atlantic right whales remain; other species vary: 10,000-90,000
Extinction Risk Endangered
1. EX
  Extinct
  
  No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died
2. EW
  Extinct in the Wild
  
  Known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalised population
3. CR
  Critically Endangered
  
  Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the Wild
4. EN
  Endangered
  
  Facing a high risk of extinction in the Wild
5. VU
  Vulnerable
  
  Facing a high risk of extinction in the Wild
6. NT
  Near Threatened
  
  Likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future
7. LC
  Least Concern
  
  Does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, or Near Threatened

Whaling ships equipped with harpoons used to hunt whales in Iceland

"Scientific" Whaling

Although the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling does contain a provision that allows killing of whales for scientific purposes, it was written more than 50 years ago, at a time when no alternatives existed. Now there are non-lethal techniques that provide the data required for management much more efficiently and accurately.

For decades, Japan has been conducting “scientific” whaling operations in the Southern Ocean—a critical feeding area for whales where commercial whaling is forbidden. In May 2010, the Australian government requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order Japan to cease its whaling practices in the Southern Ocean. In March 2014, the ICJ finally ruled that Japan must stop such activities (and Japan announced they will abide)—a true conservation win for whales.

Industry

Collisions with ships, entanglement in fishing gear (known as bycatch), and pollution injure and kill whales. Shipping activity and oil and gas development cause noise that can disrupt or even damage whales’ hearing. Such disturbance can exclude whales from critical feeding and breeding grounds, and disrupt their migratory paths.

Commercial Whaling

Despite a moratorium on commercial whaling and a ban on international trade of whale products, countries such as Iceland continue to hunt whales for their markets. Over 1000 whales a year are killed for such commercial purposes.

The U.S. and other International Whaling Commission (IWC) member countries have tried for years to persuade Iceland to end its commercial whaling—which includes hunting of the endangered fin whale—as it undermines the effectiveness of IWC’s commercial whaling ban. In 2011, after pressure from WWF and others, the U.S. government officially declared Iceland in defiance of the IWC ban. Although no sanctions were implemented, the President urged Iceland to cease its commercial whaling activities. In 2013, Iceland resumed its fin whale hunt.

Climate Change

Warming oceans and loss of sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic can affect the habitats and food of whales. Large patches of tiny plants and animals that they feed on will likely move or change in abundance as climate change alters seawater temperature, winds and ocean currents. These changes can mean whales such as humpbacks and blues may have to migrate much further to reach feeding grounds, leaving them with less time to forage for food. The shift in food availability due to climate fluctuations has already hurt the reproductive rates of the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

What WWF Is Doing

WWF-Philippines' biologist taking plancton samples

WWF documents and protects critical feeding and breeding areas and migration routes of whales. We work to establish whale sanctuaries, help shift shipping lanes and curtail seismic surveys that disrupt feeding grounds. We strive to increase awareness of the need for whale conservation at national, regional and international levels. We also create opportunities for local communities to be involved with and profit from whale conservation initiatives.

International Whaling Commission

WWF lobbies to bring “scientific” (hunting whales for research) and commercial whale hunts under the strict control of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The IWC is the body charged with regulating whaling and addressing the vast number of other threats to whales, dolphins and porpoises in our oceans such as shipping, climate change, and bycatch. WWF is working to make the IWC more effective in reducing all threats to whales.

Saving Stranded Whales

Each year, thousands of whales, dolphins and porpoises become stranded on shorelines around the world. Left unaided, many die within a day or two. In the Philippines, about a dozen stranding events occur a year. WWF offers stranding rescue workshops to local residents. Training includes cetacean (whales, dolphins and porpoises) biology, identification, threats, and conservation and rescue techniques. Since 1997, WWF has been collaborating with leading Filipino marine mammal scientists to conduct training programs. Such training not only helps ensure the safety of stranded whales and dolphins, it also increases people’s appreciation for the animals and cultivates environmental stewardship.

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Press Releases

WWF: Arctic Drilling Rules Highlight Need for Safety February 20, 2015
Lasers, Escape Windows and Air Cannons Among Innovative Ideas in Competition to Reduce Fisheries Bycatch January 13, 2015
Countries Impose Tighter Regulation of Scientific Whaling September 18, 2014

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WWF In The News

Study: Great Whale Droppings Prove Key to Ocean Health July 09, 2014 – Voice of America
Obama Rebukes Iceland for Whaling, but Doesn't Impose Trade Sanctions April 02, 2014 – E&E Greenwire

Experts

How You Can Help

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