dolphin

[priyawarekar]

why are dolphins called toothed whale?are they from the whale family?they look moke like from uhe shark family with the curved fin on their back

[tartanwiz]

They are cetaceans, members of the whale family. They breath through a blowhole on top of their head, spouting water from it, like any other whale. Dolphins are air-breathing mammals, despite their shark-like fin, whereas sharks are fish and breathe in water. Dolphins give birth to live young (calves), raising them on milk. Sharks lay eggs. Cetaceans' fish-like appearance is a case of convergent evolution, they have developed the shape to suit a life spent entirely in water. Around 100M years ago there was a creature called the ichthyosaur. It too resembled a fish or shark, but it was actually a reptile.

[tartanwiz]

About the 'toothed' bit. There are toothed whales, like the Sperm Whale and the Orca or Killer whale, which have teeth. They eat fish, turtles or, in the case of the killer whale, even seals. Then there are baleen whales, like the Humpback Whale and the Blue whale, which have a seive of long verticle slats (baleens) in their mouth through which they filter plankton, krill and small food.

[Korel]

not all sharks lay eggs. Acctually There is quite alot of spiecies of sharks that give birth to live young, The Hammerheaad for one. enfact most of the larger spieces do. Sharks are one of the most highly evolved spieces on the planet.