Whales & Dolphins

A marine mammal is a mammal that is primarily ocean-dwelling or depends on the ocean for its food. Marine mammals typically swim by moving their spine up and down. By contrast, fish normally swim by moving their spine sideways. For this reason, fish mostly have vertical caudal (tail) fins, while marine mammals have horizontal caudal fins.

Some of the primary differences between marine mammals and other marine life are:

  • Marine mammals breathe air, while most other marine animals extract oxygen from water.
  • Marine mammals have hair. Cetaceans have little or no hair, usually a very few bristles retained around the head or mouth.
  • Marine mammals give live birth. Most marine mammals only give birth to one calf or pup at a time, and are never able to birth twins or larger litters.
  • Marine mammals feed off milk as young. Maternal care is extremely important to the survival of offspring that need to develop a thick insulating layer of blubber.
  • Marine mammals maintain a high internal body temperature, unlike most other marine life.

The polar bear spends a large portion of its time in a marine environment, albeit a frozen one. When it does swim in the open sea it is extremely proficient and has been shown to cover 46 miles in one day! For these reasons, some scientists regard it as a marine mammal.

Did you find this review helpful?
40 Items found Print
Album of Whales
by Tom McGowen, illustrated by Rod Ruth
from Rand McNally
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
All About Whales
All About Books #8
by Roy Chapman Andrews
from Random House
for 4th-6th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
Baby Whale Sharp Ears
by John Y. Beaty, illustrated by Helene Carter
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$80.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Aquarium Adventure
Complete Adventure Series
by Merilee & Bill Clifton
from Master Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$18.39
Diving Dolphin
DK Readers Level 1
by Karen Wallace
from DK Children
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in DK Readers (Location: EAR-DK)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Dolphin Adventure
by Wayne Grover
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-7th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.99 $3.50 (4 in stock)
Dolphin Treasure
by Wayne Grover
from HarperTrophy
for Ages 8-12
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
Dolphins - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Water Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-WAT)
$3.95
Dolphins!
A Step into Reading Book Level 3
by Sharon Bokoske and Margaret Davidson
from Random House
for 1st-3rd grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$4.99
Draw 50 Sharks, Whales, and Other Sea Creatures
by Lee Ames
from Broadway Books
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$9.99
Edgar, the Super Dolphin
by Nathaniel Benchley, illustrated by Mamoru Funai
from Harper & Row
for 1st-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
First Look at Whales
First Look Series
by Millicent E. Selsam, Joyce Hunt
from Walker and Company
for 2nd-4th grade
in Whales & Dolphins (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
Golden Guide: Trees
from Golden Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Whales & Dolphins (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Golden Guide: Whales, Dolphins and Other Marine Mammals
by George S. Fichter, illustrated by Barbara J. Hoopes Ambler
from St. Martin's Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FIELD)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Great Whales: The Gentle Giants
by Patricia Lauber, illustrated by Pieter Folkens
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Whales & Dolphins (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Hunting for Whales
by Michael McHugh
from Great Light Publications
for 6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
In the Heart of the Sea
by Nathaniel Philbrick
from Penguin Putnam
for 10th grade-adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.00
Marine Mammals - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Water Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-WAT)
$3.95
Moby-Dick
Signet Classics
by Herman Melville
from Signet Classics
Realistic Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$5.95
Moby-Dick
Everyman's Library
by Herman Melville
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Realistic Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$35.00
Moby-Dick
Reader's Digest World's Best Reading
by Herman Melville
from Reader's Digest
Realistic Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Moby-Dick
by Herman Melville
from Penguin Putnam
Realistic Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$16.00
Moby-Dick
Wordsworth Classics
by Herman Melville
from Wordsworth Classics
Realistic Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Moby-Dick
Macmillan Classics
by Herman Melville, illustrated by Robert Shore
from Macmillan
Realistic Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Moby-Dick
Calla Editions
by Herman Melville
from Dover Publications
Realistic Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Moby-Dick
by Herman Melville
from Franklin Library
Realistic Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Moby-Dick
Modern Library
by Herman Melville
from Modern Library
Realistic Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Moby-Dick
by Herman Melville, illustrated by Boardman Robinson
from Easton Press
Realistic Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in Leather Bound Collectible Books (Location: VIN-LEA)
Moby-Dick (retold)
by Herman Melville, presented by Jane Needle, illustrated by Patrick Benson
1st edition from Candlewick Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Moby-Dick (retold)
by Herman Melville, presented by Jane Needle, illustrated by Patrick Benson
1st edition from Candlewick Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Porpoise of Pirate Bay
by F. Martin Howard, illustrated by Lynd Ward
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Story of Whaling - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in History of America Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISA)
Thor
by Robert M. McClung, illustrated by Bob Hines
from Morrow Junior Books
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
Voyage of the Mimi
by Richard M. Hendrick, head writer
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for 6th-8th grade
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Whales - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Water Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-WAT)
$3.95
Whales and Dolphins
A Hello Reader! Book Level 1
by Peter and Connie Roop
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Scholastic / Hello Reader! (Location: EAR-SCH)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Whales and Dolphins
by Robin Kerrod
from Lorenz Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Whales & Dolphins (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Whales and Dolphins - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by John Green
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Water Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-WAT)
$4.99
Whales: Friendly Dolphins and Mighty Giants of the Sea
by Jane Werner Watson
from Golden Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Whales & Dolphins (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Why Read Moby-Dick?
by Nathaniel Philbrick
Reprint from Penguin Press
for 11th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$8.00 (1 in stock)