The Squid and Whale! ! ! In the depths of the ocean, there are two major beasts who have a massive struggle to survive. One is a mollusk, the other, a mammal.! ! A pod of sperm whales cruises through the surface of the ocean. A new little face pokes itself out of the adult sperm whales and, like all mammals, the calf is very curious about the world around him. Sperm whales can be 70 feet long, and are the world’s biggest predator. Still, they, like all predators, have a huge struggle to survive, and follow the law of the wild lands, hunt or be hunted.! !! Defense Against Predators! ! ! A sperm whale may be the largest predator, but that will not stop their predators from attacking it. Since prehistoric times, with a shark called megalodon, …show more content…
The other predator has been Homo Sapien, the scientific name for humans.! ! Whaling has been a hobby for many people who shoot whales with large guns. (Not too big!)It is against the law in most countries, but sometimes people get away with it. Hunting animals that are endangered and protected by a country is called poaching.! ! Biologists have theories why sperm whales dive very deep. They are actually the only mammals that can dive to such a depth. There have been sightings of dead or sick giant squid that are found at over 30 feet, but the only live ones found are about twelve feet. Every adult sperm whale is scarred from something with claws that are strong enough to slice the sperm whale’s tough skin, as tough as a rhino’s! The creature would have to be pretty smart, too, if it were to even scratch the sperm whale, because the sperm whale has the biggest brain in the world!! ! The calves, however, must stay behind until a certain age, because these dives are very dangerous. As the pod’s adults dive deep below the surface, their young calf stays near the surface like a good boy. There is one big problem. A pod of killer whales has been tracking the pod of sperm whales. This pod of sperm whales is not old, and they have a lot to
Keeping these huge animals in small pools does not seem right. Big mammals are not meant to be in small pools. When these mammals are born they stay with there mother all of their lives. They never leave their mothers until they are captured and put in small pools which is not right. Killer whales hunt in pods, the oldest female in the pod is usually the group leader. Each pod has its own set of whistles, clicks, and calls that only members of the pod recognize similar to having a unique language. Members of many pods hunt in teams. For example, they may work together to create waves to knock a seal from an ice floe and into the open water. In many pods,...
...t to be entertained by seeing killer whales perform tricks. In the wild, the highly intelligent orcas perform their own “tricks.” According to marine biologist Jacques Cousteau, “There is about as much educational benefit to be gained in studying dolphins in captivity as there would be studying mankind by only observing prisoners held in solitary confinement.”
Their dorsal fin is extremely long, tampered and pointed in a triangular shape or rounded and curved towards the end. The skull is oval shaped and the beak is extremely short and rounded at the end. The killer whale’s jaw is powerful with teeth that are able to tear apart flesh of their prey. They can withstand the jolting, wiggling and hurtling movements of prey that are trying to escape. The killer whale is born with a single blow hole instead of two. Their flippers are paddle shaped with rounded ends and flukes are tapered back and pointed at the end resembling to a triangle/pyramid
Shirihai, H. and B. Jarrett (2006). Whales, Dolphins and Other Marine Mammals of the World. Princeton, Princeton University Press. p.185-188.
Today, in addition to the bottlenose dolphins, the Navy program includes sea lions and white beluga whales. The sea lions have excellent hearing and can dive much deeper than dolphins. They are trained for marking mines and retrieving torpedoes or practice mines, all while being more efficient than human divers. The white beluga whales dive deeper than the sea lions to recover inert torpedoes and are currently on loan from Sea World.
While whaling isn’t nearly as popular today, in this time many men made, or attempted to make, a living in this industry. Despite the hard work, dangerous standards and general intimidation, shipmates were lured into the industry for the high pay. When feeling protected by a large ship, weapons and a fearless captain, it was easy to forget the power of what they were hunting. The sperm whale is the largest of all the toothed whales, with males maturing at an average size of fifty- two feet and sometimes can reach up to sixty-seven feet in length. “It’s twenty-foot-wide tail pumped up and down.” (Philbrick, 2000, 82) The domain of life that the sperm whale belongs to is the Eukaryote. This is because the sperm whale is an organism that is made up of cells that contain a nucleus as well as other structures that are enclosed by the cell membrane. The kingdom that it belongs to is the Animalia. This is because they are multi-cellular organisms. These animals contain other distinct features including; “interior digestion of f...
Orcas, also known as killer whales, are amazingly intelligent and are a top predator, much like humans. However, when the top predator of the ocean collides with the top predator of land, the situation can become fatal for both humans and the whales. Holding these incredibly massive marine animals in captivity is not only inhumane and detrimental to the whale’s health, but also a potentially fatal activity for humans to participate in.
Blue whales, also known as (Balaenoptera musculus), are considered one of the largest animals today (NOAA). A blue whale can grow up to “80- 100 feet in length and may weigh up to 200 tons” (World Wild Life).
spend an unusual amount of time at the surface. It also states that the whales also
Orcas, or killer whales are majestic giants of the sea. They are actually the largest type of dolphin. They have long black bodies with distinct white patches near their eyes. A killer whale can be up to 32 feet or more in length, and weigh up to 12,000 pounds. Females are a bit smaller, but live longer (Gorman). The name “killer whale” apparently came not because it is a vicious whale, but because it preys on whales. They do not have any natural predators, and they are considered the “top dog” of the ocean. Not even the great white shark stands a chance against these superb killers. “Unlike sharks, killer whales are cautious hunters, sometimes spending hours harassing a 1,000-pound sea lion so it can easily be drowned” (Francis). Orcas use many hunting tactics that are unique to their species, which is what makes them invincible.
is, without a doubt, the largest inhabitant of the globe; the most formidable of all whales to encounter;
The morphology of whale sharks is mostly similar to aquatic fish species, but many specific traits help differentiate them from the rest. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world and can reach a size of around 20 meters (Martins, C., and C. Knickle). This is often compared to the size of a school bus. The shark has a very large transverse mouth. They have 5 very large gill slits and have a larger first dorsal fin compared to the second one (Whale Shark). They have a distinctive spotted “checkerboard” pattern with stripes (Martins, C., and C. Knickle). It is not exactly known why they have this specific body marking. It is believed that the body markings act as a camouflage. The strange thing about whale sharks is that they have 300 rows of teeth that play no role in feeding (Martins, C., and C. Knickle).
If you can dive 1550 metres you need to be able to hold your breath for that long. The male of this species compete very destructively to obtain breeding rights. Their main food is fish and squid. The leopard seal is also very interesting. They are not even as close in size to the elephant seal.
The Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, is part of the marine mammals group. They are found in oceans all over the world, they live in open waters. Even though they are mammals, they do not live on land (Monterey Bay Aquarium). Humpback whales are known for their magical song that can travel great distances. These gentle giants are omnivores, their main diet is krill. They are mostly found near coastlines feeding on tiny shrimp-like krill, plankton and small fish. Humpbacks migrate annually from summer feeding grounds near the poles to warmer winter breeding water closer to the Equator. Humpback whales are powerful swimmers, and they use their massive tail fin, called a fluke to propel themselves through or even out of the water! Mothers and their young swim close together, often touching one another with their flippers with what appears to be gestures of affection. Even though it takes more than one year for a humpback whale to grow fully, mother whales leave them after one year (National Geographic).
Did you know in the world there are more than 90 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises? (WDC) The dolphin is a very important animal to the ocean and there are many different types to discover. In order to learn about dolphins, it is important to discuss where they live, their appearance, and what they eat. Some helpful words to understand are “dorsal fin”, a dorsal fin is the top pointed fin on the dolphins back, “flippers”, a flipper is a flat fin that dolphins use to swim, and “echolocation” is a tool dolphins use to find food by sounds bouncing off of objects (dictionary.com).