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A
Acute : Pointed.
Adult : A sexually mature animal which is (or is almost) fully grown.
Amphipod : A small, shrimp-like crustacean that is a food source for many whales
Anchor patch : A variable grey-white anchor- or 'W'-shaped patch on the chests of some smaller cetaceans.
Anterior : Located toward the front.
B
Baleen/Baleen plates : In some whales, the fibrous plates in parallel rows on either side of the upper jaw used to filter small prey from the water.
Baleen Whale : A suborder of whales with baleen plates instead of teeth, members of the Mysticeti suborder.
Band : A pigmented diagonal or oblique line.
Bar : A short, broad, pigmented vertical line.
Barbel : A fleshy projection of skin, often threadlike, usually found near the mouth, chin, or nostrils.
Beach-rubbing : Rubbing the body on stones in shallow water near to the shore.
Beak : In many toothed whales, the elongated forward portion of the head, consisting of the rostrum and the lower jaw.
Benthic : Living on or associated with the ocean bottom.
Blaze : In cetaceans, a streak or "smear" of light pigmentation on the upper side of the front portion of the body.
Blow : In cetaceans, the expulsion of air at the surface through the blowhole(s), or nostril(s), during exhalation; also called the spout.
Blowhole : In cetaceans, the single or paired respiratory opening.
Blowhole crest : An elevated area in front of the blowholes of many large whales, which prevents water from pouring in during respiration.
Blubber : An insulating layer of fat beneath the skin of most marine mammals
Bow-riding : Riding on the pressure wave in front of a ship or large whale.
Brackish Water : Slightly less salty than sea water.
Breach : To leap through the water surface. -- Breaching - The act of leaping out of the water and crashing back with a splash.
Bulbous : Rounded; resembling a bulb in shape.
Bull : Adult male cetacean.
C
Calf : A baby cetacean that is still being nursed by its mother.
Callosity : An area of roughened skin or horny growth on the head of a Right Whale.
Cape : In some cetaceans; a dark area usually on top of the head or on the back in front of the dorsal fin.
Cardiform Teeth : Sharp teeth that are closely set in rows and look like the bristles of a brush.
Caudal : Petaining to the tail.
Caudal Fin : The fin on the hindmost part of the body.
Cephalic : Pertaining to the head.
Cetacean : A marine mammal belonging to the Latin order Cetacea, which includes all whales, dolphins and porpoises.
Circumpolar : Ranging around either pole.
Compressed : Flattened from side to side so that the animal is higher than wide.
Continental Shelf : The submerged, relatively flat and gently sloping part of a continent extending from shore to about 100 fathoms.
Cow : Adult female cetacean.
Cusp : A pointed projection on a tooth.
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