A Whale of a Quiz

Can you guess these facts about whales in nature and popular culture?
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: April 6, 2023
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First submittedApril 9, 2014
Times taken33,443
Average score65.0%
Rating4.30
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Answer
Largest type of whale
Blue Whale
Primary food of the above
Krill
Type of small whale that is white and lives in the Arctic
Beluga
Type of whale with a single long tusk
Narwhal
Type of whale most common for whale-watching
Humpback
Another name for killer whales
Orcas
Largest type of toothed whale, once hunted for "whale oil"
Sperm Whale
Primary food of the above
Squid
Movie about a boy who helped a killer whale to escape
Free Willy
Bible character swallowed by a whale
Jonah
Word for a young whale
Calf
Fictional whale hated by Captain Ahab
Moby Dick
Taxonomic order that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises
Cetacea
Country that kills thousands of whales for "research" (but really for food)
Japan
Filter-feeding body part also called whalebone
Baleen
Word for a whale's tail fin
(hint: starts with F)
Fluke
Insulating layer of fat
Blubber
Hole through which whales breathe
Blowhole
Ambergris is a whale product once used to make what
Perfume
Word for when a whale jumps out of the water
Breach
+3
Level 57
May 5, 2014
Ambergris is also used in cigarettes. As well, ambergris is still used in some perfumes.
+2
Level 33
May 5, 2014
You should take the orca question off because orcas are actually a type of dolphin.
+3
Level 12
May 5, 2014
Who cares?!

Most people consider it a whale.

+30
Level 59
Jan 22, 2017
I'd imagine your aunt cares to some degree.
+3
Level 72
Jan 3, 2019
rabidmuriqui44 that had me laughing out loud. Difficult one to explain if anybody had heard.
+1
Level 86
May 5, 2014
So are belugas...
+21
Level ∞
May 5, 2014
I'm going to blow your mind zizzers4, but dophins ARE whales.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toothed_whale

+2
Level 48
May 6, 2014
Snap.
+3
Level 60
May 6, 2014
You gotta at least wiki that first. I almost said the same thing on a quiz a bit ago. Glad I didn't get the QM smackdown.
+1
Level 33
Jul 8, 2014
That link says that toothed whales are a suborder of cetaceans. They put dolphins in with whales because they didn't want to make two groups. Ex. Toothed whales and toothed dolphins. They should have just called it toothed cetaceans. The point is "Quizmaster", you're wrong on this one. DOLPHINS ARE NOT WHALES. And of you want a wiki link, here's one for you, read the first line: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin. First sentence: Dolphins are cetacean mammals closely related to whales and porpoises. So, DOLPHINS ARE NOT WHALES. There is scientific proof that dolphins are not whales. So, "Quizmaster", that makes one thing you are wrong about. Again, DOLPHINS ARE NOT WHALES. They are two different types of mammals. You can give me all the wiki links in the world about toothed whales, dolphins, and whales, but you will always be wrong about dolphins being whales because DOLPHINS ARE NOT WHALES.Porpoises are not whales either. Dolphins may be related to whales, but DOLPHINS ARE NOT WHALES!!!!!!
+5
Level 66
Apr 17, 2023
Biologist here. Dolphins are whales.
+1
Level 90
Apr 17, 2023
A real one or one like George Constanza
+8
Level 75
Nov 28, 2014
Do you feel better now?
+2
Level 76
Jan 22, 2015
Maybe this article will help.
+2
Level 75
Feb 29, 2016
The quiz doesn't say that killer whales are a type of whale. Krill aren't a type of whale either, nor are Japanese, Jonah, etc
+1
Level 84
Apr 6, 2023
@roleybob No, but krill are food for whales. It related to the previous question. That's totally normal for a quiz about whales. Dolphins aren't whales, so they don't belong.

Also, of course, Jonah wasn't swallowed by a whale; he was swallowed by a fish. People assume it was a whale based on how large the fish would have to be, but they don't have a problem with the impossibility of living in a sea creature's stomach for 3 days. If you're okay with Jonah being able to survive that, you shouldn't have a problem with the much less miraculous notion of a fish large enough to eat a human. Don't put words in God's mouth. If the Bible says it was a fish, don't say that it was a whale.

+1
Level 84
Apr 6, 2023
Some interesting stuff from Wikipedia.

"According to Rabbi Eliezer, the fish that swallowed Jonah was created in the primordial era and the inside of its mouth was like a synagogue; the fish's eyes were like windows and a pearl inside its mouth provided further illumination.

According to the Midrash, while Jonah was inside the fish, it told him that its life was nearly over because soon the Leviathan would eat them both. Jonah promised the fish that he would save them. Following Jonah's directions, the fish swam up alongside the Leviathan and Jonah threatened to leash the Leviathan by its tongue and let the other fish eat it. The Leviathan heard Jonah's threats, saw that he was circumcised, and realized that he was protected by the Lord, so it fled in terror, leaving Jonah and the fish alive."

+1
Level 62
May 23, 2023
who wrote his bible?
+1
Level 71
Jan 22, 2017
If that is so "Dolphins are Whales"....... then they should be the most common whales!
+1
Level 59
Jan 22, 2017
There's definitely one species of dolphin that is NOT considered a whale (even in the colloquial sense).

...They tend to be found around Miami, Florida. ;-)

+2
Level 66
Aug 18, 2018
Those darn dolphins *mumble mumble* always tryin' to be something they ain't *mumble mumble* now they saying they're whales *mumble mumble*
+1
Level 49
Sep 26, 2020
Dolphins evolved from whales and thus are whales. Just as humans are apes. Yes this quiz like far too much media insinuates that orcas are less dolphins than other dolphins the fact is that dolphins are genetically very similar to toothed whales and in fact much closer to toothed whales like sperm than baleen whales like hump, blue, etc.

Btw did you know crocodilians are more closely related to birds than other reptiles since birds are technically reptiles (though taxonomy labeling leaves that out because its a very basic system.)

+3
Level 69
Sep 26, 2020
SamLocke that logic doesn't hold up. Yes dolphins and whales evolved from the same ancestor, that makes them both cetaceans (which this quiz rightly points out). However, whales and dolphins are distinct groups within the clade. Your argument rests on the assumption that whales as we know them have been a constant while dolphins just happened to split off, which is simply not reasonable given out current understanding of evolution. What you've said about them being closely related is absolutely correct, and an argument for toothed and baleen whales not being equally separate is a fair one to make, but based on the currently accepted taxonomic systems that are used, dolphins and whales are distinct groups
+1
Level 25
Nov 21, 2014
yes very true
+1
Level 33
Jan 20, 2015
thank you, willandmax
+1
Level 61
Feb 5, 2017
You're all wrong. Orcas are aliens from the unobservable universe and are conspiring to destroy the galaxy and enslave us.
+1
Level 46
May 9, 2019
Dolphins are actually whales, known as toothed whales, or odontocetes, but not all whales are dolphins
+1
Level 82
Sep 26, 2020
but both took part in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
+4
Level 84
Apr 7, 2023
What a thread. Can't believe nobody's mentioned Cyprus yet.
+1
Level 62
May 23, 2023
Cyprus!
+1
Level 62
May 23, 2023
there you go
+3
Level 34
Oct 23, 2016
Thank you Futurama! 20/20
+3
Level 70
Nov 18, 2016
Thanks to Futurama we can all be whale biologists.
+1
Level 67
Jan 21, 2017
Yes.
+2
Level 89
Jan 21, 2017
You can thank Futurama. I thank Star Trek IV.
+2
Level 65
Feb 22, 2020
Precious hamburgers
+1
Level 28
Apr 24, 2023
wild kratts
+2
Level 52
Jan 21, 2017
Could you add Breeching?
+2
Level 69
Dec 23, 2017
Breech births are rare in whales, but fascinatingly enough, the position would be the opposite of a human breech; since whales are normally born fluke-first, a breech birth would be head-first! Scintillating, amirite? But I think one thing is certain however: breech position or not, whales give birth safely underwater, not while breaching and flailing about above the waterline, as that would probably be painful, and just plain unsafe for both momma and calf.
+2
Level 84
Apr 7, 2023
The Cincinnati Bengals had a place-kicker named Jim Breech. Believe it or not, he always kicked feet-first.
+2
Level 79
Jan 21, 2017
Excellent quiz nice mix of easy medium and challenging questions. Great job
+1
Level 79
Jan 21, 2017
I agree, I never would have gotten the 2 that I missed...ever.
+2
Level 47
Jan 22, 2017
great quiz but i have no knowledge in whales
+9
Level 69
Jan 23, 2017
I think you should accept "woah" as a word for when a whale jumps out of the water
+1
Level 61
Feb 5, 2017
smae
+1
Level 61
Feb 5, 2017
I thought the biggest type of whale was your mom

I AM SO SORRY DON'T KILL ME

+3
Level 82
Sep 28, 2020
Pretty sure Noah wasn't eaten by a whale, more like a big fish
+3
Level 87
Nov 13, 2020
Noah wasn't eaten by anything. Also, whales are the "biggest fish" they had heard of back then. I don't even think the idea of a mammal existed
+1
Level 75
Mar 15, 2023
In all likelihood, he was eaten by a bunch of microbes in the dirt, like everyone else. For all we know, you may have some of those exact atoms in your body right now. (This assumes we're talking about someone who actually existed, of course.) Deep thoughts.
+1
Level 62
May 23, 2023
Noah and the Big Fish, Jonah and the Ark, David and Eve, Moses on the Cross... the possibilities are endless. Unfortunately, they're also all incorrect
+1
Level 84
Apr 7, 2023
Definitely want to read the version of the Bible where Noah gets pulled off the Ark by a whale.
+1
Level 66
Apr 18, 2023
This post covers it pretty well.
+1
Level 76
Sep 20, 2023
A post that argues for ignorance in defense of religion? And that takes a 4chan troll post seriously?
+1
Level 53
Jan 5, 2023
thought it was cephlapod not cetacea
+2
Level 76
Apr 6, 2023
Nope, cephalopods are a class of mollusks that include the squid, octopus, nautilus, and cuttlefish.
+1
Level 79
Apr 7, 2023
I tried 'beach' for 'breach'...
+1
Level 66
Apr 17, 2023
I’d recommend removing “order” from the Cetacea question and replacing it with “group” instead. Cetacea is merely an infraorder.
+2
Level 59
Apr 17, 2023
wow i know shockingly little about whales

4/20

+1
Level 80
Apr 17, 2023
We learned a ton about whales in elementary school. I have no idea why, but whales are pretty cool. Not dolphins though. Dolphins are jerks
+1
Level 28
Apr 24, 2023
some narwhals have 2 tusks...
+1
Level 28
Apr 24, 2023
cant believe i knew so much about whales