Big boss! Represent the owner or the head of the region, in the same manner, sharks and whales are awarded with this title and are considered as the big bosses of the oceans. They are also called the ocean beasts because of their giant size and exceptional predatory skills. This article tends to explain the resemblances as well as dissimilarity among both ocean species, so let’s analyze some interesting facts about these monsters.
Sharks and whales
Sharks and whales are the large creatures of marine ecosystem; a shark belongs to the group of cartilaginous fishes while whales are the mammals which thrive in ocean water. However, both species have learnt to cope with different physical environments, they were able to live in cold and warm waters, freshwater or saltwaters. As sharks for fins and meat while whales for blubber layer are highly demanded due to which most of their members are on endangered list and are about to extinct.
Resemblances between sharks and whales
Sharks and whales both fall in the category of vertebrates which means both the species are with backbones. Another similarity between them is that both belong to aquatic environments and enjoy swimming deep in the ocean. Whales always prefer to live only in the ocean water while sharks with few exceptions live both in freshwater and saltwater. One of the remarkable features is a fusiform shape of the body that is the most evident resemblances between sharks and whales. This shape of their body helps to move through the tides of water in the most proficient way.
Dissimilarities between sharks and whales
There are a number of differences between them which are much deeper than oceans. Here are some of the common differences listed to make it easy for you to differentiate between them.
Features
Sharks
Whales
Group
Sharks belongs to the group of cartilaginous fishes
Whales belongs to the group of marine mammals
Species distribution
There are about 440 species of sharks that are distributed all over the world
There are around 90 species of whales are distributed
Habitat
Sharks prefer warm water in tropical regions
Whales prefers cold water of Southern and Northern hemisphere
Size
Sharks size reaches up to 40 feet
The size of whales grows up to 98 feet
Weight
The weight of sharks lies between 680 to 2268kg on average
The weight of whales on average is more than 150 tons
Skeleton
The entire skeleton of sharks is made up of cartilage
Like mammals, whales skeleton in composed of bones
Body color
Sharks are usually gray in color, with white skin of belly and pale yellow spots on the back
Whales are gray, blue and of black color
Thermoregulation mechanism
Sharks are cold blooded so they do not regulate their body temperature
Whales are warm blooded species which regulates their body temperature
Skin
The skin do not contain any hairy layer
The skin is covered with minute layer of hair
Blubber layer
The skin of sharks do not have the insulating blubber layer below their skin
Whales possess a layer of blubber underneath their skin which prevent the fall of body temperature
Breathing mechanism
Sharks bears 5 pairs of gills which helps them to respire
Whales possess well developed lung used in respiration
Teeth
Sharks have 300 to 350 teeth which helps them to capture the prey
Whales have 240 to 250 teeth which helps to capture and seize prey
Diet
Sharks do not feed on specific species, they capture anything which comes in their surroundings
Whales feed on algae, planktons, larvae and other minute creatures
Reproduction
Sharks are ovoviviparous, they either lay eggs or give birth to young ones
Whales are viviparous, which only give birth to young ones
Eggs
Sharks produces about 300 eggs annually
Whales only give birth to young pups and release them in ocean waters
Sleep mechanism
Sharks do sleep for sometime
Whales do not sleep but do some rest
Organs
Sharks have well developed sense of smell, vision and are electroreception ability
Whales have very well developed ears so that they can hear the sound produced by predators from distance
Communication skills
Sharks do not share any communication strategies with other sharks species
Whales produces different sounds so as to interconnect with other whales
Behavior
Sharks do not show any friendly behavior towards other species and are not trained for entertainment
Whales in contrast share friendly relationship with other species and are also trained for the purpose of entertainment
Migration
Sharks do not migrate to other places as the season changes
Whales migrates from one place to other seasonally
Life span
Sharks can live for 20 to 30 years
Whales can live for about 70 to 100 years
Final words
Although sharks and whales share some sort of resemblance in their mode of living, they differ in many ways as well, sharks belong to the group of cartilaginous fishes while whales fall in the category of live marine mammals. Their behavior, mode of nutrition, appearance, distribution, sleep mechanism, color, reproduction and many other features analyzed above to help you to distinguish between the two giant water species. Now, whenever you see any of them you would be able to differentiate them easily.
