Whale Glossary
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Whale Glossary |
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 Radioisotope dating Radioisotope dating is used to find out how old fossils are. Different radioisotopes are used for different geologic time periods because of their different half-lives. |
  Reptiles Reptiles are a group of animals that have scales, breathe air, and usually lay egg. Lizards, snakes, turtles and dinosaurs are reptiles. |
 Right whales Right whales (Eubalaena spp.) are baleen whales that have large heads (that are up to 1/3 of their body length), and weigh up to 100 tons. Right whales swim along the surface open-mouthed, skimming the water with long, fine baleen. They have no dorsal fin, no throat grooves, and a huge, arched jaw. They are slow swimmers and migrate seasonally. Bowhead whales, the right whale and the southern right whale are right whales. |
Rodhocetus Rodhocetus (meaning "Rodho [the local name of the region in Pakistnan where the fossil was found] whale") is an extinct primitive Eocene whale that lived about 46.5 million years ago. It had four short limbs (the femur or thigh bone was only 8 inches - 20 cm long) and with a whale-like body about 10 ft long. Its pelvis was not fused to the backbone. It had a long, pointed snout with many sharp, triangular teeth. Rodhocetus was found by Phil Gingerich et al. in Pakistan. |
 Rorqual whales Rorqual whales (Family Balaenopteridae) are baleen whales that have pleated throat grooves that allow their throat to expand during the huge intake of water during filter feeding. They have long, sleek bodies, a median notch, and a small dorsal fin. The blue whales, Bryde's whale, the fin whale, minke whale, sei whale, and the humpback whale are rorqual whales. |
Rostrum A rostrum is the beak-like upper jaw of a whale. |
Rounding Out Rounding out is a whale behavior in which the whale arches its peduncle at the surface of the water while beginning a dive. |
 Ruminant A ruminant is an animal that digests its food many times. This food is usually tough plant material like grasses. Ruminants include cows, sheep, antelopes, and camels. |
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Whale Glossary |
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