Difference Between Whale 🐳 and Fish 🐠

One of the most asked questions about whales and fish is are they the same and if not how are they different from one another.

First let's clarify the fact that whales are not fish, they are marine mammals.

In fact whales are very different from fish in a number of ways.

PHYSIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FISH AND WHALES

Marine mammals such as whales can be classified as animals that rely wholly or partially on the ocean or coastal waters for survival while sharing many of the same characteristics of land mammals such as breathing air, being warm-blooded and giving birth to their young.

Fish on the other hand can be classified as a primarily cold-blooded, egg producing, gill bearing species that lacks any limbs with digits and does not require air to breathe.

This quick classification clearly identifies several distinct difference between fish and marine mammals such as whales.

For instance whales are warm-blooded, while (almost all) fish are cold-blooded.

Due to the warm-blooded nature of these mammals they often require large amounts of food to maintain their energy level and body heat.

In order to obtain enough food to power their large bodies a whales diet often consists of fish, krill, squid, crustaceans and other small aquatic life forms that give it the energy it needs to thrive and survive in the ocean.

A few species such as the killer whale (these marine mammals are actually dolphins) will consume large marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, penguins, marine birds, dolphins and even whales.

The diet of fish however consists of larvae, smaller fish, squid and plankton among other small and microscopic organisms.

Whales also have a thick layer of blubber to keep them insulated in cold Arctic and Antarctic whether; in fact some species of whale have blubber that can measure up to 10 inches thick!

Rather than having blubber or body fat fish are generally thin and can naturally adjust to the changes of the temperature as they do not need to maintain their body heat the way warm-blooded mammals do.

Another strong distinction between fish and marine mammals involves their breathing and how the respiratory system works between the two animal species.

Fish have gills which extract oxygen from the water and thus allow it to live underwater its entire life.

Whales on the other hand do not have gills but instead have one or two blowholes that connect to its lungs which allow the whale to breathe in air.

Due to a presence of lungs and the lack of gills whales are unable to extract oxygen from the water and must come to the surface for air.

In fact while it's possible for a whale to drown underwater stays submerged for too long or takes water into its lungs it is also possible for a fish to suffocate above the water because it lacks the lungs or organs necessary for breathing in air.

BONE STRUCTURE, SWIMMING AND GIVING BIRTH

Aside from these interesting facts there are other physiological differences that are apparent in the bone structure of whalesWhales are believed to have evolved from land dwelling animals into inhabitants of the sea over the course of millions of years.

The design and curvature of a whales spine resembles a design which appears to originally have been used for running as opposed to swimming.

When whales swim they create propulsion by moving their tail and flukes up and down.

When fish swims their spines are designed to move from left to right and (in most cases) their bodies are streamlined for quick movement and turning in the water.

Whales (unlike fish) also have bones in their flippers which closely resemble the limbs and digits of their land dwelling ancestors and were believed to have been used to walk the earth millions of years ago.

This also explains why whales are warm-blooded and breathe air because their ancestors were originally designed to do so.

Here's a recap of the differences between marine mammals such as whales, dolphins and porpoises and the many different fish species, which also includes sharks:

Whales are warm-blooded, breathe air, give birth to live young (they have a pregnancy/gestation period) and produce milk to feed their newborns.

Fish (including sharks) are primarily cold-blooded, extract oxygen from the water through the use of gills, lay eggs (most species lay eggs externally) and some newborns get their nutrients from a sack that they carry around when first born rather than being fed milk the way newborn whales are.

Lastly, there are large differences in how these two animals are nurtured.

NURTURE VERSUS NATURE

In many cases whales, dolphins and porpoises are cared for by their mothers for several months to several years and fed milk during their first year in order to make sure they grow up healthy and are able to hunt and survive on their own.

Most species of fish however aren't known for providing such care to their young.

In fact after birth many species of fish are left to fend for their own and must rely on the sack that's attached to them at birth for the nutrients they need until they are able to hunt and survive on their own.

For most fish species there is no strong relationship between mother and child, especially since some fish are able to lay thousands of eggs over the course of a year.

Some scientifically researchers may conclude that it is more important for these animals to lay massive amounts of eggs rather than caring for a single offspring.

Part of the reason for this is the fact that large amounts of fish can be consumed in a relatively quick amount of time.

In fact some whales can consume thousands of fish daily therefore the best thing a fish can do is create lots of offspring in order to maximize its chances of passing its genes on to the next generation.

Some offspring will die naturally, some will get eaten and other will live on long enough to reproduce and continue the family legacy.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion there are many factors that differentiate whales from fish.

Whales are warm-blooded, oxygen breathing marine mammals that give birth to their young and nurture them with milk and care while fish are cold-blooded, gill bearing animals that lay eggs and often leave their children to fend for themselves after birth.

Because whales are typically larger than fish and are warm-blooded they are likely to consume larger quantities of food than fish in order to maintain their supply of blubber and provide their body with enough calories to survive and thrive in the ocean.

From an evolutionary standpoint whales appear to have evolved from land dwelling animals that walked and hunted on the land which can bee seen by observing the differences between the bone structure of whales and fish.

All of these distinct difference between whales and fish have led to very different classifications for these two types of animals and the examples given here clearly prove that these two animals are not one in the same.