These intelligent mammals are superlative in just about every way.

Blue and fin whales produce the loudest animal sounds ever documented, considerably louder than a jet engine.

The right whale received its common name from being the right one for the harpoons of whaling crews: a slowmoving swimmer the size of a bus, it doesn’t sink when injured.

Whales’ earliest ancestors are thought to be dog like creatures that returned to the sea 50 million years ago. Today, whales remain warm-blooded, airbreathing mammals that nurse their young and even grow hair.

Play Fin Whale Song
Play Blue Whale Song
Play Humpback Whale Song

Follow the undersea adventures of Ned and Anna DeLoach at marinelifeblog.com.