Do Whales Live in the Gulf of Mexico? Many people have asked this question many times over the years. The truth is that it is not quite so cut and dried. It depends a great deal on how you define “Whales” and there are several schools of thought as to their exact location in the Gulf of Mexico.
The easiest way to classify all whales and other ocean creatures is to think of them as “organisms”. The most common classification system is called Systematics. This means that these marine animals are classified on the basis of how they reproduce, rather than on how they look. One sub-classification is called Cetacea. whales and dolphins are known to reproduce differently from other organisms such as plants and bacteria. This is because whales and dolphins differ greatly in their lifestyle and in the specific factors that determine their life span.
In order for whales and dolphins to be categorized as “Whales” living in the Gulf of Mexico, it is necessary to determine if they are a class of ocean animal. On this sub-classification scale, there are four classes: baleens, cetaceans (sea cows), porpoises (seals), and sperm whales (nocturnal animals). The presence or absence of a particular trait within a whale or dolphin determines whether they are a member of this sub-class or not. For example, a baleen has all the characteristics of a true whale and a dolphin with a few incidences of a trait unique to them.
In general, whales and dolphins live for an average of about 9 years. Their life span is heavily influenced by factors such as the age of the mother at the time of breeding, the abundance of prey present at the time of reproduction, the thickness of the water at the time of reproduction, the condition of the ocean currents, and temperature fluctuations in the area in which the mother and her calves will be found. Typically, the younger calves are less capable of swimming, have lower energy and endurance, and require more support from their mothers. As they mature, their ability to dive increases and they gain weight. A mother can feed her offspring for up to three years, depending on the available prey.
The population of whales and dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico is unknown, although it has been speculated that populations exist in captivity. There have been only a handful of documented cases in which whales and dolphins were seen in the wild. Most of these were calves or adolescent males that became stranded along coasts. They were likely picked up by passing ships and taken to an area of the sea where they were hunted by other pelagic species. However, a few of these stranded whales and dolphins have been known to swim into harbors and were later returned to the wild.
Whales are among the largest and most diverse sub-species in the world. Along with the bottlenose dolphin, they are one of the planet’s most intelligent and interesting marine species. Many scientists are currently studying their behavior, life cycle, and interactions in an attempt to better understand and preserve this amazing species. In addition to studying their behavior, new discoveries about whales may one day help save these gentle animals from extinction.
