Continue with Microsoft TeamsBlue Whales
Vocabulary
Read the vocabulary terms to understand the reading better.
Blowhole
A blowhole is a nostril in the top of the head that a whale uses to breathe.
Lungs
Lungs are bag-like body parts used for breathing.
Mammal
A mammal is a warm-blooded animal whose babies are born alive, are fed milk, and have hair or fur.
Nostrils
Nostrils are the outer opening in which air enters for a person or animal to breathe.
Surface
The surface is the outside or top part of something.
Big and Blue
What is the biggest animal on Earth? This animal is even bigger than a dinosaur. Can you guess the animal? It is a blue whale.
Baby Blue Whales
A baby blue whale has just come out of its mother’s body. The newborn whale weighs as much as an adult elephant. The baby drinks lots of milk from the mother. Baby blue whales grow quickly.
Adult Blue Whales
Everything about an adult blue whale is big. The whale’s body is as long as three school buses. The whale’s tongue is so big that 50 people could stand on it. The whale’s heart is as big as a small car. Your heart is as big as your fist.
Blue Whales Breathe Air
Whales are mammals. All mammals breathe air into their lungs. A blue whale breathes through two holes on top of its head. These holes are called blowholes. They are close together, like your nostrils.
The whale swims to the surface of the water to breathe. The top of the whale’s head sticks out of the water. The whale blows old air out of the blowholes. Then it sucks fresh air into the blowholes.
To learn more about blue whales, watch the video by Nat Geo Kids on YouTube.
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