Welcome to The Whales Domain. This is an underwater grotto where beluga whales sing and grey whales dance. The lighting is made from small angler fish as they scurry about with their wormlike appendages swaying in hopes of attracting a fishy meal. A sign outside of the grotto is very prominent as you read it with a smile. The words from the motto "Where all the whales gather."

Whales are believed to have evolved from four-legged land mammals (perhaps with hooves) that wondered into the water time and time again, eventually changing and adapting to it and becoming the creatures we recognize today. Whales are friendly animals, all included in the class entitled cetacean. They have powerful side fins called pectorals that help them steer and even stronger tails. The tail, or flukes, help the whale propel itself in the water at speeds up to 40 miles per hour (killer whale) and dive to depths unlike anything you could imagine (sperm whale). Whales come in two groups: the baleen whales and the toothed whales. Baleen whales are named because they all have soft straw-like bristles or plates in their mouth instead of teeth (imagine the straw at the end of a broom). The baleen is very soft near the ends. Baleen is mainly used for eating and is a very simple way to get the tiny shrimp-like food that these types of whales love to eat, krill. They take in a big gulp of food and water and use their massive tounges to push the water out through the baleen, while the krill gets trapped. The whales are then able to swallow their meal. They must do this many times though, for their size is immense. The biggest baleen whale, the blue whale, can grow over 100 feet long! Notable features of baleen whales include large, expandable throats and small dorsal (back) fins.

Toothed whales are named for a very obvious reason. They all have a mouthful of small teeth which they use to capture and kill prey, but not to chew. Toothed whales often eat a variety of foods including fish for belugas, seals for orcas, and squid for the sperm whales. Dolphins can also be included in the toothed whale group. Toothed whales frequently use echolocation, a process of sending out sound and waiting for it ot bounce back, therefore knowing the exact location, shape, and size of something, to find their food. It's a very reliable system that is also used by bats and submarines (known as sonar).