Cetaceans
This reading profile brings together 4 source-linked articles that reference cetaceans.
Explore Fauna’s source-checked field guides and research articles covering cetaceans, or search the species catalog below for individual species profiles.Source-linked reading
- Field guideHow dolphins sleep with half their brainDuring unihemispheric sleep, strong slow waves occupy one cerebral hemisphere while the other remains in a more wake-like state. The sides alternate over time; this is neither total wakefulness nor a neat division in which exactly half of every brain system switches off.
- Field guideHow marine mammals diveMarine mammals dive on one breath by carrying substantial oxygen in blood and muscle, adjusting heart rate and circulation, tolerating low oxygen, and managing gases as pressure rises. These responses are flexible and differ greatly between shallow and deep divers.
- Field guideWhale watching without disturbanceWhales concentrate along predictable migration routes, which makes seasonal watching reliable—and makes disturbance easy if crowds press too close. Watching well means keeping legal distances, letting the animals control the encounter, and learning the behavioral cues that signal when a whale wants space.
- Field guideWhy animals live in groupsAnimals remain social when context-dependent benefits exceed costs for participating individuals; the balance shifts with food distribution, predators, pathogens, kinship, dominance, season, and group size.