neptunesdolphins | Entries tagged with whale

The largest of all Toothed Whales, Sperm Whale can dive longer, faster, and deeper than any other Mammal. Known as nature’s submarine, Sperm Whale is well equipped to hunt in the ocean abyss for Giant Squid. Swimming in total darkness, He uses his echolocation to locate Squid. His huge head, which makes up a third of his total body length, houses the wax-filled spermaceti organ that helps Him to dive deep. With steady clicks, Sperm Whale approaches his Prey, then surprises Giant Squid with a sonic scream, disabling Him.

Among Whales, Sperm Whale has a unique social life. Elder Mother Sperm Whale governs his Nursery Pod. In the tropics, Sperm Whale Mothers, Females, and Young Males live together. When Sperm Whale reaches maturity, He leaves and joins a Bachelor Pod. Together, He and his Friends roam from the Polar Seas, where Squid lives, to the Tropics where the Nursery Pods are. When He is older, Sperm Whale will navigate the oceans by Himself.

Diving vertically into the abyss, Sperm Whale searches for Giant Squid. Using echolocation, Sperm Whale clicks until He sense the outline of Squid in the murky depths. No one knows what exactly happens in the murky depths; only that Sperm Whale is usually victorious. Like this extraordinary Whale, you can explore the Abyss. Just remember to surface from time to time.

“There is more character in the Sperm Whale’s head. As you behold it, you involuntarily yield the immense superiority to him, in point of pervading dignity. In the present instance, too, this dignity is heightened by the pepper and salt colour of his head at the summit, giving token of advanced age and large experience.” – “Moby Dick”, Herman Melville

Known as “Ghost Whale”, Beluga is the only whale that is all white. Because of her pale color, Russians named Her, “Belulcha,” which means “white one”. Like Manatee, Beluga was once thought to be a mermaid. Today, She is a major character in children’s stories.

Like her Mother, Beluga returns to the same river estuary every year. Her Mother first took Her to their “home” when She was a Calf. However, when the ice freezes over her estuary, Beluga will leave her home for warmer coastal waters. But come the springtime, She returns with her Calf to feed in the nourishing Polar waters of their estuary.

Unlike other Whales, Beluga has a flexible neck, and can move her head from side to side. Because of her unique ability, She does a visual sweep of the ocean floor while swimming. Her famed flexibility extends to other parts of her body as well. Beluga’s bendable flippers help Her get out of tight squeezes. Her moveable face makes Her one of the most expressive whales. In fact, She often forms her mouth into an “O”. When She is unhappy, Beluga will squirt the offender with streams of water from her puckered mouth.

Since She travels in pods of a hundred or more Whales, having a social life is important to Beluga. Called “Sea Canary”, She chirps, peeps, and squeaks to her Pod Mates. In her Pod, Beluga talks with Them all, using trills, chirps, and clucks. Sometimes, She sounds like a rusty gate or an out-of-tune string band, conversing with other Belugas.

Life in Beluga’s Pod is loud and noisy. The only time, She and her Friends are silent is when Orca (Killer Whale) is near. Then silence rules the ocean waters. Beluga shows that, with friends you can trust, you will always know when danger is near.

A favorite of whale watchers, Humpback Whale is the most acrobatic of all Baleen Whales. A favorite activity of his is pec-waving, in which He twirls his body back and forth, waving his flippers. One of the most prodigious breachers, (Note 1) Humpback Whale leaps hundreds of times out of the water. Most noticeable of his actions is pec-slapping, where He slaps his long flippers against the water with a resounding crack that can be heard considerable distances. If a whale-watching boat disturbs him, Humpback Whale will lobtail (Note 2) to show his annoyance.

During his migration from the Polar Seas, Humpback Whale can be seen in coastal waters, breaching and pec-slapping. Easy to distinguish from other Baleen Whales, Humpback Whale has a broad tail, long white-edged flippers, and prominent knobs on his snout. His long narrow flippers, which are almost one-third of his body length, are the longest appendages of any animal.

When He finally arrives at his tropical breeding grounds; Humpback Whale sings one of his famous songs to attract Female Humpback Whales. (These songs have two to nine separate themes in a specific order.) Besides spooking whalers, his haunting sounds have been sent into space on the Voyager probes. Also, in “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”, two Humpback Whales sang their songs to stop aliens from destroying the Earth.

Unlike other Baleen Whales, Humpback Whale hunts in groups. He engages in an unusual form of cooperative hunting called “bubble netting”. (Several Whales produce a continuous spiral of exhaled air making a single, large bubble net.) First, a Humpback Whale will tail slap to startle the Fish. Then each Whale slowly rises below a school of prey, expelling a circle of bubbles. These bubbles form a “net” similar to fishing net. The Fish panic and converge in a small group. Then Humpback Whale swims through the group with his mouth open wide, gulping down Fish.

Humpback Whale communicates to everyone in a multiple of ways. He sings to Female Humpback Whale to court her. To display his annoyance at whale watchers, He lobtails, pec-slaps, and breaches. Humpback Whale cooperates with his friends in bubble hunting Fish. Learn effective ways to communicate from Humpback Whale.

“The most gamesome and light-hearted of all the whales” – Herman Melville, author of “Moby Dick”

“We know the whales are saying something. The question however is what it is.” – Gary Lyder, marine biologist

Notes:

Note 1. Breaches: Leaping out of the water and returns with a tremendous splash.

Note 2. Lobtailing: Forcefully slaps the flukes against the water while remaining partly underwater.

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SPERM WHALE: EXPLORING THE ABYSS

BELUGA WHALE: FRIENDS YOU CAN TRUST

HUMPBACK WHALE: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

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