Whale (Franchise)

Whales are marine mammals mentioned minimally in the How to Train Your Dragon Franchise.

Description
Whales are marine mammals grouped under the term Cetaceans along with dolphins and porpoises. Currently there is not a specific taxonomic group including all species that are generally referred to as whales.

Whales are generally the larger species of cetaceans, whereas dolphins are porpoises are much smaller. Whale species are divided into two groups: baleen whales and toothed whales. Toothed whales are as named - they have teeth. Baleen whales on the other hand have plates of fine keratin hairs, used for straining water to obtain their food - tiny and microscopic invertebrates.

Function
Whales are only mentioned in the Franchise, and serve no function.

In reality, however, Vikings and many other cultures both historic and current, hunt whales for a variety of products they provide. Whale meat and blubber is eaten. Their oil was historically highly prized for its use to light lamps. Baleen and bones were used to make a variety of tools. Historical Vikings readily made use of whales and other cetaceans that were beached or close to shore, but so far there is no evidence Vikings partook of whaling in open seas, which occurred in later centuries.

"The Endless Night"
A sigil of the Thunderhead Tribe is found. Fishlegs runs through his knowledge, that the Thunderhead tribe comes from Thunderhead Bay and are known as whalers.

Dragons: Race to the Edge, Season 3
In the final episode of this season, "Defenders of the Wing, Part 1", a whale is seen drawn on a map that Viggo Grimborn gives to Hiccup, in the sea near Caldera Cay.

School of Dragons
Whales are mentioned in the player Quest "Scauldron Safari". Fishlegs compares the behavior of a group of Scauldrons to that of a group of whales, called a "pod".