WHALES AND OTHER SEA MAMMALS
WHALES AND OTHER SEA MAMMALS Sea mammals spend most of their lives in or near the sea. There are three groups of sea mammals. Whales and dolphins are called cetaceans. Seals and walruses are called pinnipeds. Manatees and dugongs are called Iranians. Well over 10 million crabeater seals are living in the icy Antarctic. Seals are found in many parts of the world, but the southern crab eaters are the most common type of seal on Earth. A whale’s body is designed for swimming. It has a smooth, streamlined shape for pushing through the water, and blowholes for breathing on top of its head. The huge blue whale is the biggest mammal in the sea. In fact, it’s the biggest animal that has ever lived. It can grow more than 30 meters long and weigh as much as 130 tons. The ancestors of today’s whales once lived on land. About 50 million years ago, they went into the sea to look for food, and their bodies adapted to life in the water. Whales have a thick layer of fat, called blubber, under