Post by aneaglesangel on Jun 26, 2007 10:53:24 GMT -5
Wereboy and I were the lucky recipients of some whale watch tickets! We couldn't have asked for better weather for the day, or for any nicer whales, who definitely cooperated with being watched! Hey, and an added plus! Noone had to pull me outta the water because I jumped off to commune with the whales, LOLOL! All kidding aside, these are curious, magnificent animals that seem to be just as interested in us as we are in them. With their great intelligence I think they've earned the right to live peaceful lives. Immense and magnificent they may be, gentle and loving, I'm sure if they were threatened, the wrath of Moby would be unleashed!! I was awed with the whole experience, and hope all of you here, get to experience it some day!!
A little about humpbacks. They range from 40-50 feet long and can weigh as much as 79,000 pounds. They feed for 8 months of the year in colder ocean ranges and then make a trip from 25,000-35,000 miles to the tropical and sub-tropical waters. Here they fast until they return to the colder waters to feed on krill and small fish. During the time they fast, they live off great blubber reserves, they've stored up while in the colder waters. Humpbacks are capable of making beautiful whale song for upwards of 20 minutes at a time. They think this is usually males as part of the mating ritual, but much is still unknown about humpbacks. We still aren't sure what their lifespan is or how many calves a single female can give birth to. That is why it is so important to protect these creatures, who are on the endangered species list. We need to learn as much as we can about them, in order to protect them more fully!
As we were leaving Plymouth harbor, we had the special treat of seeing the Mayflower II!!! This is a replica of the original Mayflower that was built in England, in 1957.
The first whales we saw were "Nile" and her calf, who is still unnamed. Nile has given birth to the most known calves on record. Since 1978, she's had 10 calves. This calf was born last winter and was 10 feet long, ouch!! This is the two of them as they approached. The calf was very curious!!
This is the calf, look how close he came to get a better look at us! I was sooo excited! I had no clue they would come so close to the boat!!
Mom doesn't seem too bothered by the boat either, and being so protective of their calves, and her being such a good mom, with 10 calves under her belt, I'm sure if she felt threatened, she never would have allowed Jr so close to us!!
This is called 'logging' behavior, and they think this is how whales 'rest' since they are not believed to actually sleep.
A little about humpbacks. They range from 40-50 feet long and can weigh as much as 79,000 pounds. They feed for 8 months of the year in colder ocean ranges and then make a trip from 25,000-35,000 miles to the tropical and sub-tropical waters. Here they fast until they return to the colder waters to feed on krill and small fish. During the time they fast, they live off great blubber reserves, they've stored up while in the colder waters. Humpbacks are capable of making beautiful whale song for upwards of 20 minutes at a time. They think this is usually males as part of the mating ritual, but much is still unknown about humpbacks. We still aren't sure what their lifespan is or how many calves a single female can give birth to. That is why it is so important to protect these creatures, who are on the endangered species list. We need to learn as much as we can about them, in order to protect them more fully!
As we were leaving Plymouth harbor, we had the special treat of seeing the Mayflower II!!! This is a replica of the original Mayflower that was built in England, in 1957.
The first whales we saw were "Nile" and her calf, who is still unnamed. Nile has given birth to the most known calves on record. Since 1978, she's had 10 calves. This calf was born last winter and was 10 feet long, ouch!! This is the two of them as they approached. The calf was very curious!!
This is the calf, look how close he came to get a better look at us! I was sooo excited! I had no clue they would come so close to the boat!!
Mom doesn't seem too bothered by the boat either, and being so protective of their calves, and her being such a good mom, with 10 calves under her belt, I'm sure if she felt threatened, she never would have allowed Jr so close to us!!
This is called 'logging' behavior, and they think this is how whales 'rest' since they are not believed to actually sleep.
