Pod+1

=Welcome to the first pod of whales.=

You will visit three pods or groups of humpback whales as you complete your webquest. The first pod of whales lives in the cool subarctic waters in the summer and migrates to the western shores of [|Mexico] in the winter. While you are visiting the first group of whales your task will be to examine the physical characteristics of humpback whales. = = = =

=Physical Characteristics of Humpback Whales= Although you have probaby seen pictures of the humpback whale, do you know about the physical characteristics of the giant water creatures? In other words, how do you know if a humpback is a baleen whale or a toothed whale? Can you guess how much the humpback weighs? Do you know what kind of food they eat or the names of their different body parts? Would you like to learn more about them?

Want to learn more about the humpback whale? Explore the following online resources by clicking on the underlined links:
[|Enchanted Learning - Humpback Whales] Read about the humpback whales' different characteristics. Learn about the whales' size, diet, how they breathe, their habitat and more.

[|The American Cetacean Society Factsheet] Explore this site to learn more interesting information about the physcial characteristics of the humpback whales.

[|How Do Whales Feed] Humpback whales are [|baleen whales]. Learn what it means to be a baleen whale and what a baleen whale eats.

View [|National Geographic's wonderful video] of humpback whales. Not only will you learn all kinds of interesting information, you will also see humpback whales in their natural habitat. Click on the screen to play the video the above link.

Learning Activity:
When you are finished exploring the above resources, you are ready to complete the first page of your Whale Journal. Write down some of the interesting information that you have learned about the physical characteristics of humpback whales on the first page of your journal. You will find some helpful visual aids on the powerpoint slide to help you get started.