Q:
How many bones does a whale have?
A:
Quick Answer
The number of bones varies from one species of whale to another and is dependent, in part, on the length of the whale's spine. Sperm whales contain 164 bones, while the blue whale, the largest animal on earth, has 356 bones.
Continue Reading
Credit:
share your experiences
Moment
Getty Images
Full Answer
A whale's skeleton contains a skull, a spine and a rib cage, plus the bones that make up its flippers. The skeleton inside a whale's flipper looks like a version of a human hand; containing a shoulder, upper arm bone, lower arm bones, wrist bones and phalanges, or finger-type bones. Whales also contain several small bones floating down toward their tails. Scientists believe these are vestigial remnants of what were once hind legs.
Learn more about Marine MammalsRelated Questions
-
Q:
What is the smallest whale?
A: The beluga whale, also called a white whale, is the smallest species of whale. The average beluga weighs 2,000 to 3,000 pounds and measures 13 to 20 feet i... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
How big is a whale?
A: Whales are mammals that have an incredibly size range, yet all whales fall between 13 feet long and 90 feet long. The blue whale, the largest known whale o... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What is the largest whale?
A: Blue whales are the largest whales. They are 100 feet long and weigh more than 200 tons. The heart of a blue whale is the size of an automobile, and the to... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
How far can a whale hear underwater?
A: Depending upon the species, whales can hear each other up to 1,000 miles away. Whales use their sounds to communicate and to navigate the ocean with echolo... Full Answer >Filed Under:
