the last time whale oil was used in u.s. automobile transmissions was 1972.

whales are still hunted by japan, norway, iceland, and indiginous communities in the arctic. the rest of the world has banned whale hunting.

because they are at the top of their food chain, orcas are the most pollution-contaminated marine mammal.

orcas are the fastest mammal in the sea, attaining speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, the speed of a galloping horse. they are also matriarchies, and mate for life.

an orca's teeth are about 4 inches long - twice the size of a great white shark's - and conical. their mouths are large enough to swallow seals whole. speaking of great white sharks - they flee when they smell orca urine in the water.

orcas, or killer whales, were originally called 'whale killers', a name that is extremely apt. orcas have the largest dorsal fin of all cetaceans - roughly the height of a tall man. the white patch behind this fin is as unique as a fingerprint. their white and black patches make them more difficult to spot from above and below, which makes it easier for them to close in on prey (seals, dolphins, penguins, and whales).

the average male blue whale has a penis that is 98 inches long ( a little more than 8 feet, or about 2.5 meters).

it is possible to hear a blue whale's heartbeat underwater from as much as 2 miles away.

 a newborn blue whale gains 200 pounds per day during its first year of life.

in its 1st year of life, a baby blue whale gains 200 lbs a day - all from its mother's milk.

in case you doubt evolution, consider this: all whales still have hipbones.

giant squid sometimes eat baby whales.

blue whales sometimes stop singing in the middle of a song and then start again from that exact same spot in the sing 6 months later. only the whales know why.

it takes a trio of grey whales to mate successfully.

at 8,000 cubic centimeters, the sperm whale's brain is the largest in the animal kingdom.

blue whales sing, and all of their singing voices have steadily dropped in pitch over at least the last 40 years. no one knows why.

a blue whale's heart is roughly the size of a volkswagen beetle. it can be heard beating up to 2 miles away.

a blue whale's penis is 10 feet long and 1 foot in diameter.

hugo, an orca (or 'killer whale') at the miami seaquarium, committed suicide by repeatedly ramming his head against the walls of his tank.

remind anyone who believes in creationism that, every once in awhile, a whale is born with a leg or two.

japan used us$30 million of their tsunami relief funds to support whaling. the international whaling commission has since banned japanese whaling.