Check out this great example of the right whale's characteristic V-shaped blow (see image). The shape of a blow can help scientists distinguish different species of cetaceans when they are seen from afar. For example, the finback whales' blow is tall and slender rising about 20 feet above the surface of the water. The humpback whale has a short bushy blow. The sperm whale has a blow that veers to the left due to the angle of its blowhole.

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