Friday, February 25, 2011

My writing assignment on Humpback Whales

This was my writing assignment from this week. Drop a comment and let me know what you think.
~Emma

Humpback Whales
Humpback whales' bodies have several unique features. One of the more noticeable of these singular features are their long, wing like flippers. While hunting, Humpbacks use their flippers to powerfully scoop prey in front of their mouth. Once a Humpback has filled its mouth with thousands of gallons of water, and potential food, it uses its muscular tongue to press the water out of its mouth through baleen plates. The black baleen plates are approximately 2ft long, and covered in bristles. The baleen plates hang from the roof of whales' mouths like vertical venetian blinds. As the water flows out through the plates, the whale's food is caught in the bristles, and the Humpback then swallows it. When there is a shortage of food in an area, the Humpbacks will migrate to a better feeding ground. On these long journeys, the Humpback whale uses its strong tail fins, called flukes. Humpback whale flukes often grow to be as large as 12 feet wide, and can propel them through the water at speeds reaching over 15 miles an hour. Humpback whales often have white and black markings patterned on their flukes, which allows them to be recognized during their travels. Humpback's fluke markings are as unique and identifiable as human fingerprints.

1 comment:

  1. I certainly haven't heard from you in a long while, Emily.
    Thanks for the comment. :)

    ReplyDelete