WHAT HAS BECOME OF THE WHALE'S LEGS 



that they are an adaptation to increase the mouth 

 capacity and to give greater power of expansion to 

 the lungs. 



The folds are not composed of flesh but entirely 

 of blubber, the layer of fibrous fat which covers the 

 bodies of all whales, porpoises, and dolphins and 

 lies between the skin and the flesh. Since cetaceans 

 are warm-blooded animals (fish and reptiles are cold- 



After the humpback's flipper has been stripped of blubber. The 

 forearm, wrist and fingers are shown. In this species the 

 digits have been reduced to four and are greatly elongated. 



blooded) it is necessary for them to have some pro- 

 tection from the cold. Hair is not sufficient for this 

 purpose as in land mammals; consequently the layer 

 of blubber, which acts as a non-conductor and pre- 

 vents the heat of the animal's body from being ab- 

 sorbed by the water, has been developed. It is from 

 this that the whale oil of commerce is boiled or tried 

 out. The blubber may be easily peeled off the body 

 in strips called "blanket pieces/' which are cut into 

 blocks and after being sliced are put into the trying- 

 out kettles. 



