Why do whales have a spout on top of there back?

Question

Why do they have a sput on top of there back and what does it do? I mean well if they have oen why doesn't the fish have a hole if they whales do? ( please at least try to answer) -lol-

Answer 1

By the spout I assume you mean the blowhole. The proximate cause for the blowhole in most whales is that during development as an embryo the two nostrils of most mammals move and (in the case of toothed whales) fuse to become a blowhole.

The ultimate cause is likely due to evolutionary forces for the whale to be able to breathe easily without having to stop or slow down much as they would if the nostrils were in the usual location in mammals.

Fish do not need a blowhole. They are not mammals and do not need to rise to the surface of the water to breathe.

By the way, if this is for a homework assignment be careful about using the answer above. It is plagiarized word for word from the Wikipedia entry.

Answer 2

In biology, a blowhole is the hole at the top of a Cetacean's head through which the animal breathes air. It is homologous with the nostril of other mammals. As whales reach the water surface to breathe, they will forcefully expel air through the blowhole. The exhale is released into the comparably lower-pressure, colder atmosphere, and any water vapor condenses. This spray, known as the blow, is often visible from far away as a white splash, which can also be partially caused by water resting on top of the blowhole.

Air sacs just below the blowhole allow whales to produce sounds for communication and (for those species capable of it) echolocation. These air sacs are filled with air, which is then released again to produce sound in a similar fashion to releasing air from a balloon.

Baleen whales have two blowholes positioned in a V-shape while toothed whales have only one blowhole. The sperm whale is a toothed whale and also has a single blowhole, but unlike other toothed whales it has a double air duct leading up to it and the blowhole is located left of center.

The trachea only connects to the blowhole and there is no connection to the esophagus as with humans and most other mammals. Because of this, there is no risk of food accidentally ending up in the animal's lungs, and likewise the animal cannot breathe through its mouth. The advantage of the blowhole is mainly that allows the animal to come up for air without having to stop or slow down much.

Answer 3

Whales are air-breathing mammals. They need to get their lungs full of oxygen and then dive under the water till they run out of it in their lungs.

That spout (their blowhole) is where they breathe when they are above the water. It is on their big head not on their back.

Fish extract oxygen from water by passing it through their gills which are connected to their mouths. Water goes in and then out the gill openings on the side of their heads so they have no use for air breathing parts.

Answer 4

Well, Whales breath air, fish dont which explains that part! The blow hole is for breathing through - it's their nostril - they can't breath though their mouth unlike most other mammels

Answer 5

Whales are mammals, they breathe air thru their blowhole.

Answer 6

surely you should have learned this in grade school?

whale is a mammal = lungs.
Fish have gills.

Answer 7

it's how the whale breathes... it's a mammel and breathes air... fish don't have them because they have scales to get oxygen from water

Answer 8

beacuse It helps them breath.

Answer 9

to breathe

Answer 10

because it's not on the bottom