Whale is the common name for a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. They are an informal grouping within the infraorder Cetacea, usually excluding dolphins and porpoises. Whales, dolphins and porpoises belong to the order Cetartiodactyla with even-toed ungulates and their closest living relatives are the hippopotamuses, having diverged about 40 million years ago. The two parvorders of whales, baleen whales (Mysticeti) and toothed whales (Odontoceti), are thought to have split apart around 34 million years ago. The whales comprise eight extant families: Balaenopteridae (the rorquals), Balaenidae (right whales), Cetotheriidae (the pygmy right whale),
The manatee is a large marine mammal and the manatee is also commonly known as the sea cow. The manatee is found in warmer waters only in the eastern hemisphere around subtropical regions such as Florida and the Caribbean.
The average manatee can often weight more than 500kg and can grow to lengths of over 4.5 meters. Despite their large size it is not uncommon for the manatee to reach more than 70 years old.
The manatee spends most of its time grazing on plants in warm, shallow waters that are seldom deeper than a couple of meters. The manatee is a herbivore and therefore only really feeds on aquatic plants like sea grass and algae but it has been thought that certain species o
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The Dusky Dolphin is a small species of dolphin that is found inhabiting the cooler waters along continental shelves throughout the southern hemisphere. This distinctive looking cetacean is closely related to other large marine animals including other dolphins, porpoises and whales but despite their fish-like appearance Dusky Dolphins are true mammals that both breathe air in and out of their lungs and also suckle their young on milk produced by the mother's mammary glands. Dusky Dolphins are widespread throughout the southern hemisphere with three species being recognised that have been grouped by their geographical range, with one found off the coast of South America, one near South Africa
