1:02:00 AM
READING 13
You should spend about 20 minutes
on Questions 1 – 10 which are based on Reading 13.
Baleen Whales
A Baleen whales are the largest animals on earth, yet they feed
on some of the smallest animals in the ocean. There are 12 baleen whale species
divided into 4 families: right, pygmy right, gray and rorqual whales.
B Right whales were called the "right" whales to
catch by early hunters because they are large, swim slowly, have long baleen
plates, contain lots of oil, and float when killed. Right whales do not have
dorsal fins or throat grooves. The taxonomy of this family is rather confusing,
but currently there are three species of right whales: the Northern right whale,
Southern right whale and bowhead whale. The pygmy right is in a separate family
although it shares similarly characteristics to right whales.
C Gray whales have their own taxonomic family, genus, and
species. They are the most coastal of the baleen whales and are often found
within a few miles of shore. Each year gray whales migrate between their summer
feeding grounds in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas to their winter
breeding grounds off Baja California, Mexico. This is one of the longest
migrations by a mammal species. Gray whales are gray in color and their skin is
encrusted with barnacles and a unique species of small crustaceans known as "whale
lice." They have 2-3 short throat grooves and instead of a dorsal fin they
have a low dorsal hump followed by 6-12 "knuckles" or bumps. Whalers
used to call gray whales "devil fish" because of their aggressive
response to being hunted.
D Rorqual whales are relatively streamlined in appearance and
have pointed heads and small pointed fins. They can be distinguished from other
whales by many (25-90) deep groves along their throats that expand when they
feed. There are 8 species of rorqual whales: the humpback whale, fin whale,
Bryde's whale, blue whale, northern minke, antarctic minke, Eden's
("small-type") whale.
E Baleen whales are some of the largest animals on earth.
Characteristic baleen plates and paired blowholes help distinguish baleen
whales from toothed whales. All cetaceans have a long, strong diaphragm which
allows them to rapidly exhale as they surface and quickly inhale before submerging.
The phrase "Thar she blows!" was coined by whale hunters who spotted
the column of vapor as the whales exhaled.
F How were baleen whales named? Baleen whales were named for
the long plates of baleen which hang in a row (like the teeth of a comb) from
their upper jaws. Baleen plates are strong and flexible; they are made of a
protein similar to human fingernails. Baleen plates are broad at the base
(gumline) and taper into a fringe which forms a curtain or mat inside the
whale's mouth. Baleen whales strain huge volumes of ocean water through their
baleen plates to capture food: tons of krill, other zooplankton, crustaceans,
and small fish.
G Early humans hunted whales for food and oil. But in the 19th
and early 20th centuries, before the invention of plastic, whales
were hunted commercially for their baleen or "whalebone" as well as
for their oil. The whalebone was used to make women's corsets, buggy whips, and
umbrella ribs. Most baleen whale species remain severely depleted because of
this commercial whaling.
Questions 1 – 5
Complete the table below. Use NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage.
Write your answers in boxes 1 – 5
on your answer sheet.
|
B
A
L
E
E
N
W
H
A
L
E
S
|
Right
|
… 2 …
|
|
Southern right
|
||
|
… 3 …
|
||
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Pigmy right
|
|
|
|
… 1 …
|
genus
|
|
|
species
|
||
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Rorqual
|
humpback
|
|
|
fin
|
||
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Bryde's
|
||
|
… 4 …
|
||
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Northern minke
|
||
|
… 5 …
|
||
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Eden‘s
|
Questions 6 – 8
Answer questions 6 – 8 using NO
MORE THAN FIVE WORDS from the passage. Write your answers in boxes 6 – 8 on
your answer sheet.
6. What whales are the largest on
earth?
7. Before commercial whaling
started in the 19th and early 20th centuries, what did early
humans hunt whales for?
8. What did baleen whales feed
on?
Questions 9 – 10
Choose the appropriate letters A –
D and write your answers in boxes 9 – 10 on your
answer sheet.
9. Right whales are called right
whales because they …
A. float when killed.
B. have long baleen plates
C. are large.
D. are thought as the right
whales to catch by the hunters.
10. Sharing characteristics
similar to the right whales, the pygmy right is …
A. a member of the right whale
family.
B. in a separate family.
C. younger than white whales
D. more powerful than other
whales.
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