The Ocean's Gentle Giant: The Right Whale
State symbols are often chosen to represent a region's unique natural heritage. Many people know their state bird, tree, or flower, but some coastal states have also chosen an official state marine mammal. In states like Georgia and Massachusetts, that special honor belongs to the North Atlantic right whale. By naming the right whale as a state symbol, citizens help bring attention to one of the most remarkable and threatened creatures in the ocean.
The North Atlantic right whale is easily recognizable by several distinct physical features. Unlike many other large whales, it does not have a dorsal fin on its back. Its dark head is covered with rough patches of raised skin called callosities. Scientists use the unique shapes and patterns of these callosities to identify individual whales, much like human fingerprints. Growing up to fifty feet long and weighing around seventy tons, these massive mammals feed by swimming through the water with their mouths open. Instead of teeth, they have long plates of baleen that act like a strainer, filtering tiny ocean creatures called copepods out of the seawater.
- callosities:
- Rough patches of raised skin found on the head of a right whale.
- baleen:
- Long plates in a whale's mouth used to filter food from seawater.
- copepods:
- Tiny ocean animals that right whales strain out of seawater for food.
- endangered:
- At serious risk of disappearing or becoming extinct.
- entanglement:
- The state of becoming wrapped up or caught in something, such as fishing lines.
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- 1Why do some coastal states choose official state marine mammals?
- 2Which two states are mentioned in the text as having named the North Atlantic right whale as their state symbol?
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About this report passage for Upper Elementary
“The Ocean's Gentle Giant: The Right Whale” is a report reading passage about Right Whale State Marine Mammal, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (334 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.