aquatic mammals library

Aquatic mammals such as whales and dolphins live and feed in the ocean. The Blue Whale is the biggest mammal on Earth.

What's the difference between a seal and a sea lion?

Featured Article: What's the difference between a seal and a sea lion?

Dog shows aren't the only places you'll hear barking and clapping. Seals and sea lions welcome beachgoers with their uproarious get-togethers. But how do you tell the difference between the two? See more »

How Baleen Whales Work

How Baleen Whales Work

Bushy mustaches like the ones that Magnum P.I. or Super Mario sport are a bold fashion statement. But for baleen whales, they never go out of style.

See more »
How can dolphins disarm sea mines?

How can dolphins disarm sea mines?

Dolphins and war? That seems like an unfortunate pairing. But the U.S. Navy has been training the gregarious sea creatures to spot sea mines since the 1960s. Are they good at it?

See more »
How can whale vomit help me retire?

How can whale vomit help me retire?

If you're wandering through a thrift store and happen upon a large mass of some sort of waxy substance, take a closer look. It could be the rare "floating gold" of the sea: whale vomit. Find out how this gift from the sea can help you retire.

See more »
How Walruses Work

How Walruses Work

Each year, thousands of male Pacific walruses pack the beaches of Round Island off the coast of Alaska. Is there a reason for this months-long male bonding?

See more »
How Whales Work

How Whales Work

Despite their monumental proportions, the most phenomenal thing about whales isn't how big they are: It's the way they live. Whales are mammals -- warm-blooded, air-breathing creatures -- but they spend their entire life in the ocean. Find out about these awe-inspiring creatures.

See more »
What is the biggest animal ever to exist on Earth?

What is the biggest animal ever to exist on Earth?

What is the biggest animal ever to exist on Earth? The largest animal that is currently living on the planet is the blue whale, but was it the largest animal to have ever existed in history? Find out the answer in this article.

See more »
What's the difference between a seal and a sea lion?

What's the difference between a seal and a sea lion?

Dog shows aren't the only places you'll hear barking and clapping. Seals and sea lions welcome beachgoers with their uproarious get-togethers. But how do you tell the difference between the two?

See more »
Why are orca called killer whales?

Why are orca called killer whales?

Some people call orcas the wolves of the sea, yet others want to swim with them. Why are these animals known as killers -- or are they just getting a bad rap?

See more »
Beluga

Beluga

Beluga, or White Whale, a toothed whale of the Arctic, related to the narwhal. The beluga reaches a length of 11 to 18 feet (3.4 to 5.5 m).

See more »
Dolphins

Dolphins

Dolphin, a toothed whale that is related to the porpoise. The dolphin has a long, streamlined body; some species have a prominent beaklike snout.

See more »
Narwhal

Narwhal

Narwhal, a toothed whale found in arctic waters near Canada and Greenland. The male narwhal has a long, spiralled tusk.

See more »
Porpoise

Porpoise

Porpoise, the smallest of the toothed whales. It resembles the dolphin, but is smaller—seldom more than six feet (1.8 m) long—and has a blunt muzzle instead of a pointed one.

See more »
Seal

Seal

Seal, a meat-eating mammal found in all oceans of the world, but most abundant in Arctic and Antarctic waters.

See more »
Walrus

Walrus

Walrus, a large, seal-like marine mammal that lives chiefly north of the Arctic Circle.

See more »
Whales

Whales

Whale, a member of a group of water animals, some species of which are the largest animals ever known.

See more »

Dugong

Dugong, or Halicore, a mammal found in the waters bordering Australia and the Solomon and Marshall islands, Vietnam, and in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

See more »

Manatee

Manatee, a large, seal-like aquatic mammal. One of the three species if found along the Atlantic coast and in coastal rivers from northern South America to the southeastern United States, including Florida.

See more »

Pilot Whale

Pilot Whale, or Blackfish, a toothed whale related to the dolphin. The long-finned pilot whale is uniformly black; the short-finned pilot whale is black with a white patch on the chin.

See more »

videos: aquatic mammals