Obviously, this adaptation allows the whale to take its breath easier as it swims through the water. The familiar spout or spray we see is when the whale is exhaling. It is interesting to learn that the two types of whales, toothed and baleen, also have different kinds of blowholes. A toothed whale, such as a Killer Whale, has a single opening while the baleen whales have two, like us. Whales cannot breathe through their mouths.
Whales continuously travel throughout the oceans all of their lives.
Their movement generally is toward warmer waters in the winter and colder water in the summer. There are good reasons for this. Plankton, tiny animals and plants favored by baleen whales, is plentiful in the Arctic and Antarctic during their respective summers. Warm tropical sea, on the other hand, offer favorable conditions during the winter for mating and giving birth. One of the best observed examples is the California Gray Whale.