The giants of the deep
Whales and dolphins are the ocean's most spectacular animals, and this word search gathers a whole pod. You'll be tracking the colossal BLUE WHALE, the singing HUMPBACK, the deep-diving SPERM WHALE, and the tusked NARWHAL — sometimes called the unicorn of the sea.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the pod, so the whale-watch changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode dive once the diagonals and backwards words appear (an ORCA may cruise in backwards).
Acrobats and oddballs
The dolphins bring the showmanship. Keep an eye out for the famous BOTTLENOSE, the playful DUSKY and COMMON dolphins, the stocky PORPOISE, the deep-water RISSO and the round-headed PILOT whale. There are the great baleen giants too — the MINKE, FIN, GRAY, RIGHT and BOWHEAD whales — plus whale-watching words like BALEEN, BLUBBER, FLIPPER, BREACH and POD to round out the trip.
Sea giants that breathe air
Here's the fact that surprises everyone: whales and dolphins aren't fish at all — they're mammals, like us. They breathe air through a blowhole, are warm-blooded, and feed their babies milk, which is why they must keep coming up to the surface to breathe. Scientists call the whole group cetaceans, and they split into two types: toothed hunters like the ORCA, SPERM WHALE and every dolphin, and the giant BALEEN whales that have no teeth at all.
Instead of teeth, a BLUE WHALE has springy plates of BALEEN that work like a giant sieve, straining millions of tiny shrimp from mouthfuls of seawater — and it grows into the largest animal that has ever lived, bigger than any dinosaur, on a diet of some of the smallest. These animals are famously clever and chatty: a HUMPBACK sings long, complex songs that travel for miles, dolphins call each other by name-like whistles, and most live in a close family POD. All of which makes whales and dolphins a brilliant topic for an ocean or marine-mammal lesson.
Great for a marine-mammal topic
Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words, great for an ocean or sea-mammals lesson. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use Make Your Own to build a grid from your own whales and dolphins.
Frequently asked questions
Which whales and dolphins are in the word search?
A whole pod — humpback, blue whale, sperm whale, narwhal, orca and beluga, plus dolphins like the bottlenose, common, dusky and Risso's. Each puzzle uses a fresh mix.
Are whales and dolphins fish?
No — they're mammals that breathe air and feed their young milk, just like us. This puzzle hides the giants like the BLUE WHALE alongside acrobats like the BOTTLENOSE dolphin.
Is it good for a marine-mammal topic?
Spot on. Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words, great for an ocean or sea-mammals lesson.