Oddly enough whales belong to the Family Mammalia, which means that these large creatures not only are warm blooded, but are able to give birth to live young and have lungs!
But how did the whale end up in the ocean if it's a mammal? In fact, why are whales one of the only mammals on earth that are able to exist only in the water and no where else?
In this lab, you will investigate the ancestry of the blue whale by comparing DNA sequences of the blue whale to other organisms. By using this method, you can determine the blue whale's ancestry and whether or not it is truly a fish or mammal.