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dorsal fin, which is set fairly well forward on the body. They live in large schools at times, feeding on deep-sea fish and squid, but they sometimes come so close to shore that they become stranded on beaches. This schooling habit and the tendency to come near to the land has led to thousands being slaughtered every year in Newfoundland, and especially the Faroe Islands, where they are driven into narrow inlets and butchered with long hooks and knives by the local inhabitants. The beluga whale is unusual in being all white. Its bulbous head is separated from the body by a distinct flexible neck, and there is no dorsal fin. Adult males can reach a length of 16 feet (5 meters), but females are usually slightly smaller. Belu- gas live in groups of 10 to 20 adults and

called ivory from the teeth. The oil from sperm whales kept the lamps burning in large areas of the United States during the whaling boom of the 19th century. One of the most well-known of all whales is the strikingly marked killer whale, or orca. Males have a splendid upright dorsal fin, which can be more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall, and both sexes are boldly pat- terned with black-and-white patches and a variable grey saddle behind the dorsal fin. Killers have sharp teeth in both jaws, and these are used to grasp and tear up their prey, which can be anything from large fish to other marine mammals. Pilot whales are large, sociable dolphins, reaching a length of up to 20 feet (6 meters). They are almost completely black, except for some grey markings behind the eyes and

The sperm whale has a single nostril on one side of its head. When it surfaces to breathe, the blow appears at an angle—not straight up as in other large whales.

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