Whales are a widely distributed group of fully aquatic marine mammals.There are 40 extant species of whales. The two suborders of whales, Mysticeti and Odontoceti, are thought to have split up around 34 million years ago. Whales, dolphins and porpoises belong to the clade Cetartiodactyla with even-toed ungulates and their closest living relatives are the hippopotamuses, having diverged about 40 million years ago. The term whale can be used in reference to any cetacean, including porpoises and dolphins, but in general it is applied to those more than 3 metres long. Whales are the heaviest known animals, living or fossil, reaching a maximum size in the blue whale of perhaps more than 30 metres and 200000 kilograms

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Types of whales



Photo gallory of whales


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