Whale, n. [OE. whal, AS.
hwæl; akin to D. walvisch, G. wal,
walfisch, OHG. wal, Icel. hvalr, Dan. & Sw.
hval, hvalfisk. Cf. Narwhal, Walrus.]
(Zoöl.) Any aquatic mammal of the order Cetacea,
especially any one of the large species, some of which become nearly one
hundred feet long. Whales are hunted chiefly for their oil and baleen, or
whalebone.
☞ The existing whales are divided into two groups: the toothed
whales (Odontocete), including those that have teeth, as the
cachalot, or sperm whale (see Sperm whale); and the baleen, or
whalebone, whales (Mysticete), comprising those that are destitute
of teeth, but have plates of baleen hanging from the upper jaw, as the
right whales. The most important species of whalebone whales are the
bowhead, or Greenland, whale (see Illust. of Right whale),
the Biscay whale, the Antarctic whale, the gray whale (see under
Gray), the humpback, the finback, and the rorqual.
Whale bird. (Zoöl.) (a)
Any one of several species of large Antarctic petrels which follow
whaling vessels, to feed on the blubber and floating oil; especially,
Prion turtur (called also blue petrel), and Pseudoprion
desolatus. (b) The turnstone; -- so called
because it lives on the carcasses of whales. [Canada] -- Whale
fin (Com.), whalebone. Simmonds. --
Whale fishery, the fishing for, or occupation of
taking, whales. -- Whale louse (Zoöl.),
any one of several species of degraded amphipod crustaceans belonging
to the genus Cyamus, especially C. ceti. They are parasitic
on various cetaceans. -- Whale's bone,
ivory. [Obs.] -- Whale shark.
(Zoöl.) (a) The basking, or liver,
shark. (b) A very large harmless shark
(Rhinodon typicus) native of the Indian Ocean. It sometimes becomes
sixty feet long. -- Whale shot, the name
formerly given to spermaceti. -- Whale's tongue
(Zoöl.), a balanoglossus.