From gargantuan blue whales to compact common dolphins, the more than 85 species of whales show incredible diversity. All whales, members of the mammalian order Cetecea, share common characteristics including a streamlined, fusiform body shape; tail flukes; pectoral flippers; one or two blowholes; and no hind limbs. But beyond this, the physical and behavioral differences between species are sometimes astonishing. Consider the beaked whales, family Ziphiidae. Scientists know very little about these deep-diving and seemingly elusive whales, especially when compared to bottlenose dolphins and killer whales, some of the most studied animals of the sea. With this issue of Land, Sea & Air, you and your students can learn more about whales you have seen and heard of and discover amazing facts about rarely seen species.

Is it a Whale? will teach students the differences between whales and fishes while reinforcing knowledge of mammal characteristics. Help students visualize the smallest to the largest whale species with How Big is a Blue? They can also learn how toothed whales use echolocation to communicate and hunt with Good Vibrations.

Students in grades 4–8 learn how scientists study an entire population of whales with Then and Now. They can also learn some of the unique diving adaptations of whales with Dive Like a Dolphin.

Just what exactly is "baleen" and how do whales use it? Is a dolphin a whale? Do freshwater dolphins exist? Learn the answers to these questions and much more with the Whales Infobook. Dive deeper into a species with the Killer Whale, Bottlenose Dolphin, or Beluga Whale Infobooks. Use the Animal Bytes to discover interesting facts about a few highlighted species.

Habitat loss, overfishing, whaling, pollution, and global climate change are all threats whale species face. Many species are endangered, some even critically. And in 2006 the critically endangered Baiji was declared functionally extinct. The Whale Status document shows the most current population status information for each whale species (Information from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Endangered Species Act (ESA), and The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund supports the following projects directed toward saving whale species:

If you live far from the ocean, your students can still see a variety of whale and dolphin species when they watch "Saving a Species: The Whale and Dolphin Story" from ShamuTV, broadcasting on November 19th.
Find out ways to watch by following the link immediately below.