Cetaceans, the Giants of the Open Ocean

The wonderful world of whales and dolphins. Below the waves lies a world of giants. Out in the open ocean, whales and dolphins are well-suited for to a life of wandering, traversing thousands of miles each year in search of krill blooms or breeding grounds. Together, these colossal mammals belong to the infraorder cetaceans. A name with roots in Greek, from ketos, meaning ‘a large sea creature’. But despite their size, cetaceans are elusive creatures, spending most of their lives underwater and in remote areas far out to sea. Let’s shine a light on the wonderful world of these marine mammals.

00:00 – An Introduction to Cetaceans
01:11 – The Diversity of Cetaceans
01:50 – The Structure of Whales and Dolphins
02:47 – The Two Cetacean Superfamilies
03:01 – Mysticeti: How Baleen Whales Hunt
03:34 – The Colossal Blue Whale
03:58 – Rorqual Whales Explained
04:20 – Seasonal Whale Migrations
04:55 – Odontoceti: The Toothed Whales
05:14 – The Acrobatic Spinner Dolphin
05:42 – Hunting: Strand Feeding in Dolphins
06:12 – Hunting: Mud Ring Feeding in Dolphins
06:36 – Hunting: Bubble-net Feeding in Humpbacks
07:53 – Deep Dive: The Cuvier’s Beaked Whale
08:24 – Deep Dive: The Sperm Whale
08:42 – The Mammalian Diving Reflex
09:10 – Vocalisations in Cetaceans
09:29 – The Song of the Blue Whale
09:44 – The Song of the Fin Whale
09:56 – The Song of the Humpback
10:23 – The Song of Toothed Whales
10:59 – The Mighty Killer Whale
11:33 – Whale-Fall Communities
12:24 – The ‘Whale Pump’
12:57 – Conclusion

DEEP SEA HUB: https://naturalworldfacts.com/deep-sea-hub/

Footage used is from YouTube, MBARI, OceanX, NatGeo, the Ocean Exploration Institute and the Schmidt Ocean Institute, as well as other sources.

Music Used:

Precious Life by Savfk
On the Origin of Species by Savfk
Big Day Tomorrow by Savfk
Through The Crystal by Jeremy Blake
Space Walker by Au.Ra
Footsteps Underwater by JAde Wii

#deepsea #wildlife #nature #documentary #ocean #marinebiology #science #biology

Bibliography:
Dipper, F. (2016). The Marine World: A Natural History of Ocean Life. United Kingdom: Princeton University Press.