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🐬 Whales and Dolphins Are Mammals

They live in the sea and look a bit like fish, but whales and dolphins are mammals like us. Find out how they breathe air and feed their babies milk.

lessons

~15 min

to learn

🔬 Science

subject

Ages 6–12

level

Start the course →

What you’ll learn

Not Fish — Mammals!Understand that whales and dolphins are mammals that breathe air through a blowhole, not fish.Whales and dolphins live in the ocean but are mammals, not fish. Mammals breathe air, stay warm inside, and feed their babies milk. Whales and dolphins must swim up to the surface to breathe, and whales breathe through a blowhole on top of the head.
Meet the WhalesLearn that whales are giant ocean mammals whose babies, called calves, drink their mothers' milk.The humpback whale is a huge but gentle ocean mammal that sings long songs. A baby whale is called a calf, and its mother helps it up for its first breath. The calf drinks its mother's milk to grow, which is a sure sign of a mammal.
Meet the DolphinsRecognise dolphins as clever ocean mammals that live in pods, and compare a mammal with a fish.Dolphins are smaller cousins of whales and are clever, playful mammals that live in groups called pods and talk in clicks and whistles. Like all ocean mammals, they come up for air. A fish breathes underwater and does not feed milk, but a dolphin does both like a true mammal.

Questions this course answers

Whales and dolphins are which kind of animal?

Even though they live in the sea, whales and dolphins breathe air, stay warm, and feed their babies milk, so they are mammals.

Why do whales and dolphins swim up to the top of the sea?

Whales and dolphins breathe air, so they must come up to the surface to take a breath before diving back down.

What is the hole on top of a whale's head called?

A whale breathes through a blowhole on top of its head, puffing out a spray of air and water.

What does a baby whale, called a calf, drink to grow big?

A whale calf drinks its mother's rich milk, and feeding milk to babies is something all mammals do.

What do we call the friendly group that dolphins live in?

Dolphins live together in groups called pods, where they talk in clicks and whistles and help each other find food.

How is a dolphin different from a fish?

A fish breathes underwater, but a dolphin is a mammal that must come up to the surface to breathe air.

Grounded in trusted sources

NOAA Fisheries
National Geographic Kids
Smithsonian Ocean
Britannica Kids

Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.

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